<< Back 3/3/04 The Naturalist's Corner By Don Hendershot At last, the weather is hinting at what the birds have been trying to tell us — spring is, indeed, coming. Last week, while working in Brevard, I heard my first pine warbler of the season. This aptly named warbler definitely has a penchant for pine trees but is often found in mixed forests and, occasionally, during migration may be encountered where there are no pines. The birds in Brevard were sticking to the game plan, trilling from a large pine stand. Another new voice was added to my yard last week when an impatient robin could stand it no more and loosened up his vocal chords in libidinous expectation of spring. Juncos have also recently begun trilling, adding their voices to the Carolina wrens, northern cardinals, tufted titmouses and Carolina chickadees. One titmouse has definitely lost his sheet music and has settled upon quite a striking variation of the traditional “pe-ter, pe-ter, pe-ter” song. Titmouses do have quite a vocal repertoire but most of the variations come in different calls, chips and chirps, the full blown song is almost always a rendition of “peter, peter, peter” in some recognizable form. It is true that birds must learn the adult song. And this youngster might take the hint when more males start singing. Especially if they are having better response than he. But I’m hoping some bold titmouse babe will take a shine to this rockin’ rebel because he’s got a really groovy little tune going. But my favorite new yard visitor is, sadly, not singing. Last Friday and Saturday a fox sparrow joined the usual suspects at my ground feeder. There are a least four distinct forms of fox sparrows. These forms are sometimes considered races, sometimes subspecies and sometimes separate species depending on what particular taxonomic listing you are studying. The eastern form is referred to as the red fox sparrow and is the brightest of the group. The red fox sparrow is a large, handsome sparrow reaching up to 7 inches in length. The head is strikingly patterned in bright rust and gray. The breast and flanks and belly are white with bold rust streaking, often giving the fox sparrow a “thrush-like” appearance. The wings and tail are also rufous - the bright tail often conspicuous in flight. Besides being one of the most handsome sparrows, the red fox is also one of the most musical. Its song is a series of clear, rich whistles with none of the buzzy trills associated with most sparrows. While the fox sparrow sings lustily into July (it is often a double-brooder) on its nesting grounds, it is mostly silent, except for a loud, smacking “chip” note in the winter. Even if it does sing in the winter, it can often be hard to find as they often sing from low, hidden perches. They usually do respond to phishing, however. The eastern fox sparrow is primarily a ground dweller. It nests either on the ground or very near the ground and feeds almost exclusively on the ground. The sparrow forages by taking short hops and scratching back with both legs. The eastern fox sparrow breeds from western Alaska to Newfoundland and winters in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Fox sparrows are much more numerous in Louisiana in the winter and are often encountered in loose flocks numbering from five or six to a dozen or more. They are not so common here but there are always a few around. Ferguson’s field in Swain County, also known as Kituwah, and Tessentee Farm in Macon County are good places to find fox sparrows in the winter. Their numbers will increase a bit through the region now as the more southern migrants begin their trek back to Canada and/or Alaska. But they are early migrants with many making it back to the breeding grounds by April. (Don Hendershot can be reached at ddihen@juno.com)