‘#3000: sparrows in a row’ courtesy of ‘philliefan99’ 

Given the glorious weather DC has been experiencing, everyone seems to be out enjoying the crisp, cool and (dare I say it) non-humid climate. The city really seems to have bloomed in the last few weeks. And you know what else has gone into overdrive? You guessed it–the mating activities of the House Sparrow.

On my jaunts around the city, I’ve witnessed male sparrows going nuts over female sparrows. This aggressive harassment involves 5-6 male sparrows dancing, chirping, pecking, etc. one poor female sparrow, who IS NOT (judging on her fleeing) into this behavior. In fact, it often looks like she’s the one bearing the brunt of her male suitors competitive rage.  In the spirit of female unity, I often want to jump to her rescue, but have thought better of it and decided instead to investigate these strange, foreign, avian behaviors. Continue reading →