birdsoup

Earlier this month I commented on seeing the first Junco of the season.  Juncos spend their summer in Canada and migrate south to Westchester in winter because they think our winters are balmy.  They are sometimes called “snow birds” because once you see them you know that winter snows will soon be here.

Well, today I saw another winter visitor from Canada:  a White-throated Sparrow.  In winter, small flocks of White-throats are common in our area.  The flocks often include a few juncos and maybe Chickadees.  They are ground feeders so you see them mostly directly on the ground or in shrubs only a few feet high. 

White-throated Sparrows are easy to identify.  The general impression is a non-descript sparrow but a closer look will reveal prominent black and white stripes on the top of the head and a dapper-looking, clean, white bib on the chin.  On some birds you may see a yellow spot between the bill and the eye, but the yellow is not always visible.

So both Juncos and White-throats have arrived from the frozen north.  That means winter can not be far away.