Chipping Sparrows' Nest

Early this evening, we discovered a Chipping Sparrows’ nest on the branch of a pine in our back yard, only a few feet away from the back deck.

We were sitting on the deck, having a glass of wine and enjoying the evening. It was hot, but breezy enough to make it tolerable. The day before, I had noticed a small bird making frequent trips to the pine and suspected a nest, but the bird came and went so swiftly and quietly that I couldn’t even tell what it was. So this evening, I watched more carefully – and sure enough, it was clear before long that there was some kind of nest, though all we could see even through the scope was a brownish bunch of something.

Then a parent flew in, but was immediately so well hidden among the pine needles that I could not see it. All I could see was some movement around the nest – and an orangish glimpse of tiny gaping mouths. At this point, I still did not know the identity of the nesting birds, but finally one of the parents flew from the pine branch to a dead stub on another pine nearby – a Chipping Sparrow. We watched them off and on for the rest of the evening. They usually flew from the nest over the house toward the front yard, but occasionally dropped down to the grass in the back yard, near the nest tree, to hunt.

A Chipping Sparrow has been singing around the front yard for several days now, maybe even for weeks, out in the more open, grassy areas and around the shrubs. But I don’t usually hear them around the back yard – they seem to be quiet around the nest.