Lincoln's sparrow
One of the joys of winter birding is looking through mixed flocks of birds. In breeding season most birds tend to be territorial, or in some cases of colonial nesters very gregarious, but don't usually roam in mixed flocks. In the non-breeding season birders can go considerable periods of time when it seems like there are just not any birds around, and then "pop" we you come into a flock of birds. This can be a flock of mixed chickadees, nuthatches and warblers high in a tree, or can be a flock of sparrows in a thicket.
Sparrow flocks can be really fun, while at the same time frustrating and challenging. Birders often call these birds LBJ's, short for "little brown jobs." because to the non-birder, and sometimes to experienced birders they can be a challenge to identify. Today I had a few minutes on the way back home from work, and since it was not raining and I knew of a good spot to look for sparrows, I stopped to see what I could find.
Almost immediately on getting out of the car I heard a Song sparrow tuning up its early season song, and distant birds calling. As I walked down the roadside I spotted a nice flock of what appeared to be "crowned-sparrows" (genus Zonotrichia) maybe 75 meters down the road. I scanned with my binoculars, and could easily tell that there were both Golden-crowned and White-crowned sparrows feeding beside the road and perched in the bushes. On walking closer I also found a skulking Bewick's wren, got a brief glimpse of a much less common eastern visiter White-throated sparrow, and found a Lincoln's sparrow that popped up onto a roadside fence. The sun was pretty good so I tried for photos, and managed a few.
Lincoln's sparrow
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Juvenile White-crowned sparrow
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Adult White-crowned sparrow.
