On the north wind

Yesterday saw the first fall arrival of fox sparrows and juncos

In fall, sparrows and juncos arrive back at my house in the reverse order that they do in the spring. In March, large flocks of juncos are the first to arrive on their way north, often accompanied by fox sparrows and then a few weeks later white-throated sparrows appear. Now the white-throateds have been here for a few weeks and as of yesterday are joined by new flocks of juncos and fox sparrows.

White-throated Sparrows are still in my yard but in smaller numbers than the past three weeks. This is the handsome white-striped color morph of the species vs the duller tan-striped morph.

First of the fall Dark-eyed Junco letting us know winter is on the way. More will be showing up in the coming days.

Often seen in junco flocks are the chunky, aptly-named fox sparrows.

Fox sparrows blend in well with their surroundings.

This morning I was able to record a fox sparrow singing with the Merlin app:

Fox sparrow populations are healthy, which is good news. According to All About Birds:

Fox Sparrows are numerous, and populations held steady between 1966 and 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 35 million and rates them 10 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating a species of low conservation concern. Many Fox Sparrow nest in remote northern North America, and may be spared from human disturbance during the breeding period as these areas have few direct impacts from people.