Fox Sparrows weren’t my only temporary visitors during the weekend snowstorm. A small flock of 8 American Tree Sparrows also stopped by to rest and fuel up on their way north to Canada for the summer.
These birds look a little bit like Chipping Sparrows from a distance, but Chipping Sparrows have a black line through their eyes rather than a rust-colored one. American Tree Sparrows also have a little dark spot on their breast.
One of the birds from the flock was still around on Monday morning. He seemed to be easily bullied by juncos and Fox Sparrows. My goofy robin could relate as he’s regularly challenged at the feeders by Blue Jays and grackles, so the two hung out together on the platform feeder in a show of solidarity.
According to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, American Tree Sparrows can lose one-fifth of their body weight in a day and their body temperature can drop dangerously low if they do not take in 30 percent of their body weight in food and water each day. That probably explains why the flock decided to stop over in my yard at the height of that freakish mid-April storm.
