Bringing a lump to your throat

I should probably have merged this post with the one on Lark Sparrows as the only time I’ve seen a Black-throated Sparrow was on that same trip to Arizona. At least every other bird in this “top twenty” list can be seen in Ontario. (Although, wait a few more years and the “number one” should be extirpated by then.)

On that same day that I arrived at the Sonoita Creek Preserve, instead of driving back to my hotel I instead wandered up into the mountains (following a trail… I don’t exactly wander through snake-infested strange lands). Following the ridges and avoiding the rockfalls, I had just seen the only Roadrunner I have ever seen (other than that purple and grey one that goes “beep, beep”). Then, cresting the next hill there was a scrubby little bush with three or four sparrows hiding in it. At least one was a Versper’s sparrow, and two were Black-throated.

Two days later, at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, I saw many more. And those are the only two times I have seen the cute little guys. So why is their breeding habitat disappearing? Well, it seems that the ideal conditions for them are created after an area is frequently swept by (relatively) cool fire. And with fires being managed nowadays, what fires do come through tend to be less frequent but more intense. This is perfect for Cheatgrass to grow, which is an invasive species throughout much of the sparrows range. I’m not really sure what causes the temperature difference, unless it is because when there is a fire, there is more fuel to burn. If only I knew a specialist in burnination…

At any rate, since I’ve been alive the numbers of Black-throated Sparrow has decreased by 63%.