House Sparrows commonly build their nests in enclosed spaces such as within nest boxes or inside buildings or other structures, or within dense tangles of vines growing on the sides of buildings, However, much less frequently, House Sparrows build a nest out in the open.

Today a neighbor here in Norwich village showed me a domed House Sparrow nest in the upper part of a lilac tree not far from the west wall of his house and within several yards of a bird feeder which has been active all summer. The birds while nesting have been making good use of an ample food supply nearby.

This was the first time here in the Upper Valley I’ve seen such a domed arboreal nest of the House Sparrow out in the open. Most open air bird nests around here are either cup-shaped or consist of a platform, and few species of birds around here build truly domed nests off the ground out in the open, the domed nest of the here uncommon Marsh Wren being an exception. House Sparrows, as a species introduced from Europe, have retained the capability of building domed nests in the open as is characteristically done by numerous other species of Old World sparrows and finches.

George Clark
Norwich, VT


To post messages, send e-mail to:  [log in to unmask]
Set your e-mail application to PLAIN TEXT ONLY to post messages.
To contact the list owner:  [log in to unmask]
To unsubscribe:  E-mail this command to [log in to unmask]:  UNSUBSCRIBE UV-Birders
To change your e-mail address:  E-mail this command from your old address to: [log in to unmask]:  CHANGE UV-Birders [new e-mail address]

Web based archives and subscription management are available at:
http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html