EXPLORING NATURE: SPARROWS

Tiring of my usual backyard birds such as black-crested titmice, Carolina wrens and northern cardinals, I traipsed over to the Patsy Glenn Refuge one recent afternoon and walked to a bird blind at the back of the property. Multiple seed feeders and a water feature make this blind a real magnet for birds.

Seated inside the blind, I raised my binoculars to feast on a new cast of avian beauties.

I was just a tad disappointed that most of the birds I saw were sparrows, especially house sparrows. There were also black-crested titmice, Carolina wrens and one northern cardinal.

Except for the sparrows, I could have stayed home.

Lest you think I am too particular, I hasten to add that house sparrows are noble little birds. They originated in Europe and parts of Asia and north Africa and were introduced into New York back in 1851. Today, the sturdy little bird is found on every continent except Antarctica.

House sparrows were released in Philadelphia to help control an inchworm infestation and rapidly built up a huge population in that fine city. So much so that efforts were eventually made to kill them off to control their numbers. A favorite dish of the time included sparrows in a pot pie.

Similarly, after house sparrows were introduced in Galveston, they fouled up the city waterworks with their nests and became a real nuisance.

While many birds are creatures of the wild and prefer to live in fields and forests, the house sparrow prefers to live close to human habitation. Their heyday was in the time when horses were universally used for transportation and their seedrich droppings were plentiful.

But in recent times, house sparrows have been in steep decline and their numbers have gone down worldwide by 84 percent since 1966. They have largely disappeared from Philadelphia.

All in all, I’m happy these perky little birds are still around. I’m glad they’ve found refuge at the Patsy Glenn Refuge.