Fox Sparrows and April Snowstorms

A Fox Sparrow in the snow during an April snowstorm in Wisconsin

This spring has been tough on the early migrating birds.  We had a brief warm-up in early April, which brought in the first of the early migrants: Red-winged Blackbirds, Grackles, Robins, Song Sparrows and Fox Sparrows.

And then winter returned.  We've had blizzard-like conditions the last two weekends that dumped another 6 inches of snow on the gardens.

As a result, the bird feeders are really popular with lots of frantic bird activity.  We've never seen birds in such a hyper-active mode at the feeders as they gobble up the seeds and suet.

But, this has given us a chance to see migrants up close and in flocks. We usually see only one or two Fox Sparrows, but this year, we're seeing flocks!




Fox Sparrows are larger than most sparrows and they have an orange-color to their feathers.  They like to scratch around in the dirt for bugs and other good things to eat.  You'll see them kicking their legs back and forth as they forage for food.

And, they've been singing!  We've had lots of opportunities to hear their beautiful call.  To hear the song, go to the Fox Sparrow All About Birds page (Cornell University).

We're on the migration path for these birds from their winter homes in the southern U.S. to their breeding grounds way up in Canada to Alaska.

The snowstorms and cold weather had us worried about these migratory birds.  Imagine having to fly hundreds of miles and then land in the middle of winter with little food to recharge your energy!  We're glad that they readily ate the black-oiler sunflower seeds at our feeders.  We hope that helped them get through the late snowstorms here in Wisconsin.

They'll be leaving for their summer breeding grounds soon -- if our weather ever warms up!  Yup, another snowstorm is in the forecast.  Sure hope the snow melts sometime in May!