My White-throated Sparrow buddy has definitely decided to stay for the winter. He had one more good chance to leave after a huge storm system blew in after Christmas, but I looked out the window the other day and there he was hopping around under the feeder eating peanuts. The temperature was 10 degrees F.
Yes we’re in the midst of another cold spell with wind chills below zero, but he just puffs out his feathers a little more.
He’s not alone. He hangs out with a chatty flock of juncos.
And he’s not my only unusual guest for January. I also have a Fox Sparrow. I can’t get a decent photo of him, however, because he hangs out under a very old window that is covered in plastic sheeting for the winter. It’s too bad because unlike some of the other sparrows, Fox Sparrows are very dapper and photogenic.
A Fox Sparrow’s winter range is just a little further south than that of a White-throated Sparrow. I usually see a Fox Sparrow or two each spring or fall during migration, but this is the first time in 20 years of counting for Project Feederwatch (from November to April) that I’ve been able to tally a Fox Sparrow.
Maybe he and the White-throated Sparrow can huddle together and discuss their decision to brave our chilly winter.