Fox Sparrow

As fall sparrow migration begins to wind down we are left to await some of the winter resident species. I have not seen my first American Tree Sparrow of the season yet, but I was able to spot a Fox Sparrow last weekend in the Stratford Great Meadows IBA. While at home today I saw another Fox Sparrow under my bird feeders. It was scratching with the White-throats and picking at things with the Dark-eyed Juncos. The short video below shows it doing just that...

Fox Sparrow from Connecticut Audubon Society.

The last time I had a Fox Sparrow visit the yard was a one-day present on Christmas day in 2008. Be on the lookout for these big (in relative terms) sparrows at your house. It is a good time to spot one, especially during days with poor weather. They can be found quite readily in Connecticut if there is a late winter snowstorm in March as they are forced out into the open to forage. This occurred in 2007. It yielded seemingly nonstop reports from across the state of often multiple individuals that appeared along roadsides and at bird feeders.

This is also a fantastic time to spot some more of the irruptive species, from more Red-breasted Nuthatch to Purple Finch to Pine Siskin. It seems to be a better than usual winter for those species in Connecticut, and more may be coming. I will cover that in detail in another post very soon. Keep a close eye on your feeders!


Video © Scott Kruitbosch