We’ve had a visitor in our yard for the last few days. We didn’t recognize the bird, so I contacted one of my expert friends who identified it for us. He said it is a fox sparrow, and apparently it only shows up in our area for a few weeks in the spring and fall as it migrates. He also said that it is a high boreal/subarctic breeder.
When I checked for information, I found that we have an eastern type which is mostly brick red with gray. It is much larger than the other sparrows in our yard.
I haven’t seen it in trees or bushes. It mostly scratches on the ground, kicking up leaves and looking for food. They have a pretty song, although I have not heard it around here yet. You can listen to it here.
The fox sparrow has a “clump” of dark colour on its breast. It was hard to get a picture of it from the front because of its scratching.
God created the birds just as He created everything else. We can enjoy them.
