Winter Birds

Sitting here watching the bird feeders, I've identified some winter specialties and others that are year round residents.  American Tree sparrows (Spizella arborea) are a lovely winter visitor dressed in warm browns and greys with a jaunty rusty cap and clear breast with a central spot.  They are often referred to as the Winter Chippies because of their resemblance to their cousin the Chipping Sparrow, a summer resident. The Tree sparrow's name is ironic as it breeds north of the tree line in the wind swept tundra across northern Canada and Alaska.  The settlers thought they resembled the Eurasian Tree Sparrow they knew from home.  I love the Tree Sparrows jaunty posture and soft colors.  As a winter resident we rarely if ever hear its sweetly whistled song. 

The other common winter visitor is the Junco.  We get the Dark Eyed Junco, once know as the Slate-Colored Junco (Junco hyemalis).  Over the years the Juncos have been split and then re-grouped with others into one large "complex".  Juncos are the classic snow bird, arriving as early as October and staying well into spring.  They travel in large flocks like dark grey snowflakes.  As they feed they often utter soft twittering calls.  In the spring their trilled song often overlaps with the Chipping Sparrows more mechanical trill.  The Junco's song has a bell-like quality with a more musical note than the Chippie's.  Juncos practice a differentiated migration, with the females moving farther south than the males, and the males further south then the first-year birds.  The result is that most of the birds we see in winter are males.  The males are darker than the females, so if they do mix you can usually pick them out.  Because of their abundance and frequent use of feeding areas in urban areas, Juncos are one of the birds I watch for each year as a sign of the changing season.  Joining these two at my feeders are Chickadees, Gold Finches, Tufted Titmice, House Finches and House Sparrows, all year round residents.