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To some, sparrows may seem insignificant—a group of mostly small, mostly brown, superficially similar songbirds. Even those of us who love birds may be tempted to brush sparrows off as LBJs (“little brown jobs”). But the truth is that there are several dozen sparrow species in North America alone, and each is unique with something special to offer. 

Sparrows are excellent bioindicators to gauge the health of the prairie ecosystem—an ecosystem that is being converted to cropland and development and being lost at an alarming rate. As the weather continues to turn colder, many types of sparrows are moving south, showing up in prairies, weedy fields, along woodland edges, and at backyard feeders across the Hill Country. This workshop will give you a good starting point for identifying local sparrows by their field marks.  

You will also will also learn the protocol for bird surveys on The Cibolo Preserve, a property closed to the public, and be invited to participate for the winter season. 

Workshop led Tom and Patsy Inglet, long time volunteers of The Cibolo and members of the Bexar Audubon Society .