The temperature is 46 degrees F. and it is raining lightly.  Not the same as south Florida.  Still, spring is coming, and the birds and vegetation reflect it.  A pair of fox sparrows appeared in our back yard yesterday.  I spotted one on my way to the compost barrel, and tried to dismiss it as a song sparrow.  Looking more closely I thought the size and profile suggested fox sparrow.  I set down the bucket, retreated to the house, and soon stepped onto the porch with my binoculars.  The bird was not to be seen. 

I waited a couple of minutes and noticed a couple of birds scratching at the ground on the far side of the sand mound.  “Scratching?” I thought,  “That is a good sign for a fox sparrow.”  I focused the glasses to see a brilliantly plumaged taiga fox sparrow.  These birds are chestnut-brown above with rusty-red tails and gray-and-white-splotched faces.  They have bold arrowhead-shaped spots on their breasts and flanks.  The Eastern race, the taiga sparrow, nests in the far north and typically winters in the deep south north of south Florida.  The bird graces Pennsylvania in the late fall and again in the spring during its migration.  We had last seen fox sparrows in November during a birding expedition to Delaware, so this was a year-bird.  The pair kindly stayed for a couple of hours and was still in the yard when Anne returned from a shopping expedition.  We were able to admire the birds together.

Robins, Carolina wrens, and tufted titmice are announcing spring with their territorial songs.  These residents were largely silent through the winter.  Phoebes returned this week from their southern haunts, and one has set up territory around our house.  He is singing too.  Assuming he catches the fancy of a lady, a nest will appear under the eaves next month.

We will be gone by then.  Anne is working at Cherokee in April and May, and we will be departing on or about April 3rd. We will be lodging in our motorhome.  The temperature at Cherokee runs about ten degrees warmer than here.  We hope that spring comes soon or we will be chilly in Cherokee!  We will be there for the “greening-up-the-mountain festival when all are invited to watch the fresh foliage creep up the slopes of the high mountains that surround the valleys.  The process takes a couple of weeks. 

Our stay here has been pleasant, and we visited Chuck’s parents and sister and our children.  We also maintained our house and prepared the motorhome and auto for our next expedition.

After Cherokee, we plan to hike for a few weeks in Tennessee and Virginia on the AT and then head to the Midwest.  We imagine church bells ringing in Chicago.