Fall is a great time for the arrival of sparrows and blackbirds in western NC.  Ten or more species of sparrows pass through our region, including the rarer White-crowned, Lincoln’s, and Vesper.  And last year the rarer Lark Sparrow and Clay-colored Sparrows were spotted, and a Dickcissel spent the entire winter in our region.  Blackbirds come through, sometimes in huge flocks numbering in the thousands, featuring the less common Rusty Blackbirds, and the rarer but increasing Brewer’s Blackbirds. 

On the morning of November 10th we will visit hotspots with the best recent reports of sparrows and blackbirds, and also those spots with the best track record of reports over the years.  Historically the best spots have included Mills River Park and surrounding fields (where the Dickcissel wintered last year and Brewer’s Blackbirds are almost regular), the King’s Bridge Conservation Area (often with the best diversity of sparrows), and the fields on Rockwell Drive (typically with the best mix and largest flocks of blackbirds).  We’ll be sure to focus on identification of these species, which often can be almost as difficult to identify as those fall warblers!