A few More Sparrows, Part 3

January 14, 2014

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

I know I am no way near seeing all 35 Sparrow's . But, I have a few more I can add to continue with my Sparrow post.

More Sparrows from my archives.. I am sharing the LeConte's Sparrow.. It is a small sparrow with a large head. It has a buffy yellow-orange face with gray cheeks.

LeConte"s Sparrow was a special sighting. They more of a rare sighting to be seen in Maryland. The LeConte's Sparrow to me is one of the prettier Sparrows.

This is a shy Lincoln Sparrow hiding in the bush. I manage to get a shot of him peeking out. They are similar to the Song Sparrow with a brown cap and  gray stripe in the middle. They also have a finer bill.

The Song Sparrow one of the most common sparrows I do see just about everywhere. The Song Sparrow has dark upperparts and streaks. Also, has the dark spot in the middle of its chest.

I try to throw in some descriptions of the sparrows I have seen maybe it will help with iding the sparrows.

Thanks for stopping by my post and for all the nice comments.

Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.  Thanks to our host Michelle our host Stewart.  Happy Birding and have a wonderful week!

My Favorite Birds of 2012

Hello, I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday.

Since the year  is almost over and I do not think I will be doing much birding in the next two or three weeks I believe it is safe to post my favorite birds of 2012.

Above are some of my favorite birds seen while traveling this past year. Some of my favorite birds seen in on the island of Curacao are the Troupial, Saffron Finch and the Bananaquit. And seen in Oregon this year, I loved the cute Pigeon Guillemot. 

 The beautiful Saffron Finches seen in Curacao.

 The Bananaquits above were also a lifer a favorite of mine. They seem so tame and such a pretty bird.

The pretty Pigeon Guillemot was a common bird seen on the Oregon coast, it was a lifer for me.

At home in Maryland, some of my favorite birds and sightings are the Le Conte's Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Snow Buntings and the Evening Grosbeak.

 As a birder some of my sightings were exciting and rare, at least for me they were awesome. The Evening Grosbeaks in my yard was a real treat for me and a few other birders that showed up at my yard to see my Grosbeaks. The Snow Bunting and the Grosbeak appear on my post below and I considered them my Top Ten Birds to see.

Some of the birds are regular breeders in my area and some are birds that pass thru every year but still a thrill to see. The warblers are a spring, summer and fall treat to see and I was thrilled so many showed up in my yard this year.

The Le Conte's Sparrow is a "rare" sighting in Maryland as is the Evening Grosbeak that showed up in my yard.

  Above the beautiful Scarlet Tanager is a breeder in the woods next to my house, I think they are beautiful birds to see and are always a treat to see.

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The Rose-breasted Grosbeak has been a long time favorite. I only see it passing thru in the Spring and Fall but they grab my attention when they do show up in my yard.

I was so happy that this summer was a year for new yardbirds for me, it was cool to see so many warblers eating the berries in my yard.

Above are some my favorite warblers of 2012 the:  Northern Parula and the Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler and the Tennessee on the bottom right.

The Nashville Warbler was only one of the many warblers that showed up in my yard.

Again in seen my yard  the Tennessee Warbler along side a local breeder the Northern Parula. The Northern Parula is also a breeder in the woods next to my house.

The Hooded Warbler is a gorgeous bird, this is a pretty male.

Another new Warbler sighting and lifer for me is the Kentucky Warbler.

The Black-Throated Green Warbler was another great new yardbird for me.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my favorite birds of 2012. I am hoping that 2013 is another great year and I will have a lot more favorite birdsand sightings.

To see more wonderful photos and mosaics please visit Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday
 Thanks to Mary of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy .  Thanks also for stopping by to see my post.  I wish everyone a happy week!

Le Conte's Sparrow

I am linking up with World Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

On Saturday, I added the Le Conte's Sparrow to my life list. I had been watching my listserve when I noticed the Le Conte's Sparrow was being seen at the local Irvine Nature Center. This bird breeds in Canada and winters in the South Eastern United States as far west as central Texas and as far north as central Illinois. Certainly no way near Maryland, it must have made a wrong turn somewhere.

The Le Conte's Sparrow is a small sparrow with a large head, with a short gray bill and short pointed tail. It has a buffy-orange yellow face, gray cheeks and a dark crown with a white central stripe. The neck has chestnut streaks, the back is streaked with brown and beige. Its belly is off white and the sides are buffy orange yellow with dark brown streaks.

This Le Conte's Sparrow enjoys moist open grassy areas with sufficient vegetation to provide cover. It's diet is seeds of grasses in the winter and insects in the summer.

The Le Conte's sparrow was seen in the grasses behind where I was standing when I took this photo.  I have posted about one of my previous birding outings with the bird club here Birding Irvine Nature Center.   At that time this field was covered in wildflowers and looked beautiful. It is always nice to add a new bird to my life list, especially so close to home.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my latest lifer and to see more beautiful and wonderful photos please visit: World Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes.  Thanks to Springman and Michelle for hosting these fun memes. Also, I thank everyone for stopping by my post and for leaving the lovely comments.