Not Fake News: A Case of Mistaken Identity! (This bird is not a Savannah sparrow!)

Last Saturday, while walking in Central Park, I came upon the bird featured in the photographs atop this entry. I had never seen this fauna type before and the creature truly fascinated me! I took a number of photos of my sighting, and in the days that followed my chance meeting with the bird, I included my images in posts here on Blogger as well as in my entries on tumblr and Facebook.

However, prior to any of my postings, I reached out to wild life experts to see if I was correct in determining that the sweet looking creature I had met in the park was a Savannah sparrow. Everyone that I contacted confirmed that my assessment was correct and I began to publish my entries on the aforementioned social media platforms, as well as on Cornell's Lab of Orinithology's FB Page.

A few days later, I received a comment (on my Cornell posting) from Jennifer DeSelle-Milam, stating, "Looks like a white-throated sparrow to me. They also have yellow lores." 

My Encounter With a Tufted Tit Mouse

Yesterday on TLLG’s FB Page, I mentioned that on the afternoon that I encountered a Savannah sparrow in Central Park, I had also come upon an American robin playing with a piece of string.

There were other bird types that I saw on that same day including a tufted tit mouse, who can be seen in all the images accompanying this posting.

According to Cornell, a tufted tit mouse is “a little gray bird with an echoing voice, the Tufted Titmouse is common in eastern deciduous forests and a frequent visitor to feeders. The large black eyes, small, round bill, and brushy crest gives these birds a quiet but eager expression that matches the way they flit through canopies, hang from twig-ends, and drop in to bird feeders. When a titmouse finds a large seed, you’ll see it carry the prize to a perch and crack it with sharp whacks of its stout bill.”

I first met this bird type in 2012 when I was graced the creature visiting my rooftop garden, and if you’d like to read about my encounters with a tufted tit mouse during that time, please refer to my blog clicking here.

On E.B. White's "DRESSING UP"

The same afternoon that I encountered a Savannah sparrow (seen in the first image atop this entry) in Central Park, I came upon an American robin playing with a piece of string (as seen in the second image above). My seeing the robin doing this prompted me to think of an essay by E.B. White which I've posted below.

As you can see the essay was published seventy-one years ago today on April 20th, 1946. And like the sparrow who was playing with a small length of confetti, in White's essay, the American robin that I came upon spent a bit of time with the piece of string (another photo can be seen below).

But also like White's sparrow, this American robin, became bored. Indeed as White surmised, "It is a wearisome thing to be overdressed  in the early morning." Only in this case, the time frame was not early morning, but mid to late afternoon. The sun was hot which is another circumstance when being overdressed is "wearisome."

Tuesday's Truths WK 37-B: The 142nd Anniversary of Paul Reeves's Ride

Earlier today in an entry for my Tuesday's Truths series, I posted an interesting fact regarding the Savannah sparrow, and now, before I let this Tuesday pass, I want to state another truth: Today is the one hundred and forty second anniversary of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.

Tuesday's Truths WK 37-A: Savannah Sparrows Telltale Sign

Welcome to week thirty-seven of my Tuesday's Truths series. This post is dedicated to the bird type known as the Savannah sparrow, and the creature can be seen in the photo atop this entry. I took the picture this past Saturday when I was in Central Park. I had never seen this bird variety before, so I researched a number of sources, including The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, who states the following info re the Savannah sparrow:

"... take a closer look at this one and you’ll see an understated but distinctive sparrow with a short tail, small head, and telltale yellow spot before the eye. Savannah Sparrows are one of the most numerous songbirds in North America, and while sometimes overlooked, are likely visitors across the continent. In summer, they don’t hesitate to advertise their location, belting out a loud, insect-like song from farm fields and grasslands."

What an honor it was for me to encounter this creature on a "Saturday in the Park" (which was not The Fourth of July).