Monday, October 25, 2010

White Throated Sparrow

Here in the wooded hills of north Mississippi the White Throated Sparrows have returned. For all you Latin speakers, that is the Zonotrichia albicollis. It is my favourte bird. Not sure exactly why it is. It has the most unique song, which I enjoy hearing. They are very easy to bait, if you can mimic their song they will come up and check you out.

During the Autumn, Winter and Spring you can find them in hedgerows and thickets. You will know they are there by plaintive song. When evening comes and they gather to roost in dense thickets, their silvery flocking call is almost as evocative as their song. I associate them with falling leaves and the coming of Winter. They will visit a feeder, but often they are hard to spot and usually you will know they are around you by their song only. A very groovy bird. I noticed a few of them last week and it is very nice to see them back.