White-throat

One of those indefatigable winter warriors, a White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), in the life-giving Sumac. This is one of the easiest birds to identify by voice, since its call, transcribed as “Oh-sweet-Canada Canada Canada” or “Old-Sam-Peabody Peabody Peabody” (I have duel allegiances) is distinctive and frequent. These birds will head to Canada to breed, their absence a sure sign of winter’s end. But in the meantime, it’s the search for food amidst the snow. The small flock I watched looked like they were using their chests to clear little indentations in the snow. In leaves, they’ll use their feet to scritch-scratch away cover. This species is usually found on the ground, but in this case a passing pedestrian flushed them into the Sumac, where they immediately began to beak-in.