Sagebrush birds

Liam Hutcheson portrait headshot

Introduction – This week's bird column is another contribution from Liam Hutcheson (see attached). It describes what birds can be commonly found in the sagebrush areas of Eastern Washington (especially if you look for them in the early morning).
            ~ George Walter

In the final weeks of March, the rolling sagebrush steppe of Eastern Washington's Columbia plateau suddenly comes alive with the buzzes and warbles of some of our most interesting Washington birds. At any one time, birds such as the Sage Thrasher, Sagebrush Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow and Mountain Bluebird might all be calling.

Unfortunately, the abundance of this important sagebrush landscape is declining, and with it, a unique bird habitat. Sagebrush landscape is in short supply due to a plethora of factors, such as increased wildfires and development, and as they disappear, so do the birds that rely on them. Fortunately, there are still some places with large undisturbed swaths of sage where these species can still be found in good numbers, but even these are disappearing quickly. 

One such area is the hills around Vantage, Washington, where I spent some time last weekend photographing these unique birds in their homes. Even in March, the days get hot quickly, and the birds become quiet as the temperatures rise, so being on-site within the first few hours of daylight was essential! Upon stepping out of the car, I was greeted with a cacophony of songs, many of which are completely different from the common songs we are familiar with in Western Washington. 

Sagebrush Sparrow singing

One of my favorite of the sagebrush species is the Sagebrush Sparrow and this was the first species I ended up photographing this day, as there was a territorial male less than 100 yards from where I parked. These birds sing with a distinctive jumble of notes, and I quickly located him perched atop a large sagebrush in beautiful light! These sparrows are one of our earliest Washington migrants, arriving on their breeding grounds as early as February. Like most sparrows, they forage on the ground, running about under shrubs and grass, looking for small insects and sometimes seeds. Interestingly, they were only declared a species recently when they were split from the very similar Bell's Sparrow of the southwestern US (mainly California.) This Sagebrush Sparrow appeared to already be paired with a female, who spent most of her time skulking in the sage below his singing perches. This is unsurprising, as Sagebrush Sparrows often show up in February and March already paired, something very uncommon in the migratory bird world. 

Sage Thrasher with wing display

Sage Thrasher singing

As I was photographing the Sagebrush Sparrow, I thought I started to hear the seemingly endless warble of a Sage Thrasher coming from downhill. Eventually I packed up my gear and headed down the hill and found the Thrasher, perched similarly to the Sparrow atop a large Sagebrush singing his heart out. The Sage Thrasher is another migratory species, spending their winters in parts of Arizona, Texas, California, and much of northern Mexico. They are larger than sparrows with a slightly curved bill and yellow eyes. Both sexes are identical.

Sage Thrashers are a fascinating bird to observe, exhibiting a behavior called a bilateral wing display. When the Thrasher male lands on a perch and bursts into song, he will briefly raise and flutter both wings, as one of my images demonstrates. This Thrasher was extremely cooperative, allowing close approaches as it moved perch to perch through its territory. 

One of the most common birds in the sage was a bird I recently mentioned in a different article, the Mountain Bluebird. Throughout the landscape, local Audubon chapters have put out boxes for these sky-blue gems, which at this time in early spring are very busy competing with other bluebird pairs, including Western Bluebirds, for preferred nesting sites.  

Brewer's Sparrow

Two additional sage inhabitants, the Brewer’s and Vesper Sparrows were also seen in good numbers throughout this busy birding morning. Brewer’s Sparrow males sing an easily identifiable song, a long slightly rising trill followed by a few added notes. Their underparts are grayish, and their backs and napes are streaked. They appear somewhat smaller than other sparrows of the sagebrush. Both sexes are identical.

Vesper Sparrow

Vesper Sparrows, in particular, are a fascinating bird in Washington. While the main population (and the birds I saw last weekend) are restricted to the arid landscapes of Eastern Washington, a smaller distinct population (the Oregon Vesper Sparrow) is found on our very own South Sound prairies, particularly on Joint Base Lewis McChord. The Oregon Vesper is a subspecies of the regular Vesper Sparrow, and in Washington is in serious danger of extirpation, as what remains of the South Sound prairies slip away. One good place to look for these sparrows is in and near the Glacier Heritage Preserve off Mima Road in southwest Thurston County.

Today’s column was written by Liam Hutcheson, a student at Olympia’s Avanti High School who is an avid birder and accomplished bird photographer. Liam also provided the photographs.