Thursday, October 1, 2026
In last week’s Thurston’s Birds column, I claimed that looking for rare waterfowl visitors was the primary winter choice for dedicated birders. Liam, our lauded photographer, sent me this challenge: “What about the winter sparrows?”
Each winter, sparrows of multiple species visit the Puget Sound lowlands, venturing to the warmer coast from their breeding territories, which are usually in the north central states and Canada.
The sparrows are seeking the food sources they need to survive the lean months before returning to those warm-weather breeding locations. Finding the rarest of these wintering bird species is a challenging pursuit. That makes it especially satisfying when it’s successful.
Last Saturday, along with two friends, I visited one of my favorite winter birding spots, the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Not surprisingly, we saw a variety of waterfowl. The loud cracks from hunters’ guns also testified to the presence of abundant waterfowl. But initially the smaller birds were few.
Eventually, while walking along the crossing dike that connects the Nisqually River side of the refuge with the McAllister Creek side, we encountered several large flocks of sparrows. We also encountered a dedicated birder who had been teasing out the rare and unusual from these flocks.
Most of the birds were golden-crowned sparrows along with a few white-crowned sparrows. These sparrows all have plain unstripped gray breasts, a feature that immediately separates them from our common song sparrow and its boldly striped breast.
It was getting cold, but before we returned to the parking area, I learned from the birder in addition to the common species, three rarer sparrows had been seen along the grassy margins of that crossing dike.
The first were white-throated sparrows. These birds hang out with their golden and white-crowned relatives. They also have plain gray breasts. The main way to distinguish between the three species is their head markings (golden crowns, white crowns/stripes, and white throat patches).
White-throated sparrows breed in interior North America and most winter in the eastern United States but some migrate to the southern Pacific Coast. Fortunately for dedicated birders, a few spend their winter vacations in Washington, including here in Thurston County.
Further along the dike, near the start of the McAllister boardwalk, birders encountered a single swamp sparrow. Interior Canada also is the breeding area for this species. They also winter primarily in the eastern U.S. but also winter in very small numbers along the Pacific Coast.
In my experience, this is a tough sparrow to identify. As shown well in Liam’s photo, it has a combination of reddish-brown wings, a grayish face and a plain breast. That face might remind you of a song sparrow, but the unstripped breast is a sure distinguishing feature. It is more often seen as a lone bird rather than with a flock.
Another unusual sparrow that was seen last weekend along the crossing dike was a Lincoln’s sparrow. This is also a medium sized sparrow, and it is distinguished primarily by a buffy chest with fine stripes. It has a rusty wash on its wings but is much less reddish than the swamp sparrow.
For those seeking to try the winter sparrow challenge, as of last weekend these three uncommon visitors were found at Nisqually. And, although the birds are not singing, each species has a distinctive chip note and therefore the Merlin app (https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/) might be helpful in finding and identifying them.
Dedicated birders are always on the lookout for two other rare winter sparrows. So far this winter they have not been seen in our county, but they have been elsewhere in the Puget Sound area. The first is the American tree sparrow. Small flocks of these birds are regularly seen in eastern Washington, but they are seldom encountered west of the Cascades.
These medium-sized sparrows have a bold rusty cap and eye stripe, and a plain gray breast with a central spot (a black ‘stick-pin’). When found, they are usually hanging out with the other flocking sparrows I described earlier. If you find a flock of plain-breasted sparrows, always be mindful of the possibility of a tree sparrow.
There is one final sparrow species to be looking for — the Harris’s sparrow. This is a large sparrow with a long tail and a pink bill that is set off by a black face and throat and probably qualifies as "unmistakable." If you see a sparrow flock and one looks larger, give it a closer look. You might have found a truly rare winter sparrow.
Finally, keep in mind that like all sparrows, these rare winter visitors are prone to visiting bird feeders (the two Harris’s sparrows seen in Washington this winter are both attending feeders). So, keep a sharp eye out. Even if you’re not inclined to go on a winter sparrow search at Nisqually or elsewhere, there’s always the possibility that one of these unusual sparrow species will come to you.
George Walter is environmental program manager at the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s natural resources department; he also has a 45+ year interest in bird watching. He may be reached at george@theJOLTnews.com
Bird photos for this column are provided by Liam Hutcheson, an 18-year-old Olympia area birder and avid photographer.
3 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
SunterraTrail
Thank you George and Liam, I always enjoy reading your articles.
Thursday, January 15 Report this
Walexk
As a would be birder I found this article especially interesting. Thanks George and Liam.
Friday, January 16 Report this
BevBassett
This was very helpful and interesting. Thanks!
Friday, January 16 Report this