This week, three small summer species have arrived on our Littleton farm. I mentioned the house wrens at South Platte Park several days ago and, on the following day, one had settled down on the farm, singing from and moving among brushpiles in our composting area; he will soon be preparing nests to impress the trailing females.
On that same day, three chipping sparrows arrived. These small, handsome sparrows winter in Mexico, the southern Desert Southwest and in Florida; those that return to the Colorado Front Range generally settle in the foothills where they favor open ponderosa parklands. Our three visitors have yet to depart and spend most of the day searching for seed beneath the feeders. Today, another tiny traveler arrived; the first broad-tailed hummingbird of the season is zooming about the property, his wing tips producing a loud, high-pitched trill as he engages in aerial loops. Like the chipping sparrows, most of these hummingbirds, having wintered in Mexico or Central America, will summer in the foothills or mountains, favoring wooded meadows with plenty of wildflowers; however, a fair number stay down on the Piedmont and we host a nesting pair on the farm each year.
The tenacity and determination of long-distance migrants is always inspiring, especially when the travelers are so small. I am honored by their presence each spring, whether they stay to nest or move on to other summer quarters.
