On The Move: Fox Sparrows! Look For Them!

Fox Sparrow taken at our feeder in NH

Note rufous color on body and tail

This individual has a prominent breast dot

Migration update - Fox Sparrows are on the move and are being reported from many birding listserves. Look for them at your bird feeders. The birds we see in NH have that wonderful foxy color. Not all subsecies of Fox Sparrow are this rufous, some are considerably darker. (See our just published The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Eastern and Western Regions for complete subspecies and extensive photos.) One of the eastern subspecies of Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca iliaca) is the most rufous. We're always thrilled to get a close look at these large, beautiful sparrows. Look carefully at the sparrows at your feeders and see if you have any Fox Sparrows. They like mixed seed and will often feed on the ground.

Birders: The Central Park Effect, a must see, get the DVD.

 Blackburnian Warbler

and Nashville Warbler, two of the beautiful birds shown in the documentary, Birders: The Central Park Effect.

Just saw a showing of the documentary by Jeffrey Kimball called Birders: The Central Park Effect, last night at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. It's a film about birding and birders in Central Park, NY through the seasons.  It was great, you gotta see it. Beautifully filmed, great footage of birds, wonderful personalities (including Jonathan Franzen) articulately telling why birding grabs them. Like a love poem to birding, it will remind you why you are a birder.
Birders: The Central Park Effect is now available on DVD, click here.

The gorgeous video of warblers made us eager for the eye candy birds of spring migration. By the way,   we will be keynote speakers on Friday, May 10th this year at The Biggest Week in American Birding festival at Magee Marsh, OH, one of the top warbler spots of the country. Hope to see you there. Bring your cameras. I took the above warbler photos there.