Nothing says cooler weather is on the way during early autumn in central N.C. like the appearance of the White throated Sparrow.
I spotted my first one of the season this week while birding at Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina.
This makes me very happy because I’m soooo done with the warm temperatures lol!

These gorgeous little birds breed in the northern boreal forests of Canada and Alaska. Each September, they gather in large flocks to fly south to their wintering grounds along the eastern seaboard of the US.
White-throated Sparrows are known to migrate at night and depart at sunset at each leg of their southward journey.

Did you know that there are research studies which suggest that they use the patterns of stars in the sky as a means of navigation?
That being said, cloudy skies can hinder this method so they are thought to also utilize polarized sunlight cues near the horizon at sunrise and sunset as a means to recalibrate their inner magnetic compass along the way.
Pretty amazing huh?

Photo by Sally Adams Siko
Lake Betz
Morrisville, NC