Not a rare bird sighting.
Now, how is that possible you might say, given the size of hickory nuts.
Mechanical advantage and adaptability, is the answer.
On September 16, 2008 while passing along the Blue Ridge Parkway, I stopped at
Humpback Rocks Visitor Center, Augusta(?) County, VA. There are several
hickory trees (Carya sp.) that overhung the roadway and parking lot. A large
number of hickory nuts had fallen to the ground, or in this case onto the
pavement, where passing vehicles had crushed the nuts. At least three immature
Chipping Sparrows (plumage heavily streaked) were feeding on the crushed
hickory nut pieces, dodging in and out of both pedestrian and vehicular
traffic. I would suspect that the hickory nut pieces represent a rich food
source, and that after crushing some of the resulting pieces are more inline
with the size of sparrow's “normal food" items.
David Bridge
