One bird I can count on year-round at my place is the house sparrow. 

These little brown birds were first brought to America from England in 1850 in an attempt to control canker-worms.  Eight pair were released in Brooklyn but failed to survive.  So 100 more birds were imported in 1852.  They thrived.  Big time.

Unbelievably, more than a hundred cities in the U.S. and Canada released house sparrows in the next few years, mostly for insect control, but also because folks just liked the little ...