Song Sparrow and Chum Salmon fry…

In April 2004 Damon Calderwood and I discovered the nest of a pair on Song Sparrows in a briar patch adjacent to the Alouette River in Maple Ridge. The Alouette emptied into the Pitt River which in turn emptied into the Fraser River. In other words, the Alouette was tidal. Since these birds feed primarily on seeds and insects, we were surprised to see the adults bringing in Chum Salmon fry. We speculated that the birds were hunting for them in small pools along the river’s edge as the river receded. Due to this rich and abundant protein source, the babies grew faster than at the normal rate. Damon wrote a more comprehensive article for Wildlife Afield. Go here for his article:

http://wildlifebc.org/pdfs/4_2_Caldewood_Waite.pdf