April 5, 2006 [LINK]

Sparrows, sparrows, everywhere

Field sparrow A Field sparrow was foraging in our back yard today, a quite unusual occurrence. Fortunately, it lingered long enough for me to get a decent photo. They are distinguished by an overall pale buff color, with a reddish brown crown, pink beak, gray face, and a white eye ring. There was also a Chipping sparrow, which is also a migrant species, but is more commonly seen inside the city limits. Soon the White-throated sparrows will molt into their bright breeding plumage, and then head north for the summer. To compare the Field sparrow to the much more common Song sparrow, roll the mouse over the image.