Nature Note:Fox Sparrow

A fox sparrow has been visiting the property lately,scratching for seed.This bird is a boreal breeder,a native of the Great North Woods,which has come south for the winter.It is most likely from Northern Quebec or New Brunswick.They also breed from Alaska to Southern California-presumably in the mountains.Fox sparrows are heavily streaked with reddish brown and gray.At up to 7.5 inches,or 19.05 centimeters,it is one of the largest of sparrows.The dark-eyed juncos,or snowbirds,have also checked in.They could be from any of a number of places above the Mason-Dixon Line.These birds herald the arrival of markedly colder weather this weekend.