Who's Poor Tom Peabody?

Captive White-throated Sparrow at Last Mountain Bird Observatory banding station.
Margaret Madsen photo

The first time I remember hearing a White-throated Sparrow sing was in Prince Albert National Park camping with our young children in the '60s.

"That's Poor Tom Peabody," John announced.

"Who's Tom Peabody?"

"That bird. He calls his name. Poor Tom Peabody-Peabody-Peabody. We used to hear him all the time in northern New Brunswick."

"There is no bird named Tom Peabody," I sniffed. "What's his real name?"

John couldn't answer and because we weren't sharp eyed enough to spot the singer, his true identity remained hidden for decades. until we finally visited the Maritimes. Everywhere we went I asked people if they knew the proper name for Poor Tom Peabody and always the reply was, "That's what we call him."

And then we hit pay dirt in the form of a retired florist in Tide Head who was also a birder. "That's the Northern White-throated Sparrow. But the guide books say the song is oh-sweet-Canada-Canada-Canada."

"But what does it look like?" I asked.

"I can show you," he said, and fetched the most exquisite hand-carved and painted duplicate of a little bird I had seen earlier at a friend's farm in Nova Scotia. I pulled out the little coiled notebook I always carry in the pocket to list the birds I see and to record details of birds I don't know so I can look them up later: streaky brown sparrow-like, light underneath, white spot under chin, black and white stripes on head, bright yellow streak above eye, like yellow eyebrow.

Tom Peabody finally had a proper name!

Tan-striped morph photo taken out our kitchen window by grandson Theo.

I thought I was seeing another unidentified bird the first time I noticed this variation of the White-throated Sparrow. It was my grandson Theo, 10, who set me straight.