Our September weather has been fantastic. The high temperatures have been in the mid-70s which is 10 degrees above normal, and we still haven’t had a frost. Many of my flowers just keep on blooming.
While I want to pretend that winter has changed its mind about coming this year, the birds tell me otherwise. This morning I saw my first White-throated Sparrow, a sure sign that winter isn’t far behind. I love these birds. They are big for sparrows and have a little patch of white under their beak that looks like a beard. I call them Santa sparrows. Their song is described as sounding like “Old Sam Peabody.” I think they sound more like intoxicated chickadees. I get the biggest kick out of them.
White-throated Sparrows visit my backyard every year in late September until early November. Usually some Juncos travel with them. In November the sparrows move on and the Juncos stay behind for the winter. Here’s an interesting fact. Sometimes White-Throated Sparrows and Juncos mate and produce hybrids!
Because they are ground feeders, I like to toss millet and cracked corn on the ground and watch them jump back and forth and scratch like chickens. If you sit still outside, they are quite bold and will get close enough for a photograph. They really are fun little birds to watch.