Monday, September 4, 2017

Something brewing


Brewer's Sparrow (Spizella breweri), photographed on Bodega Head on 2 September 2017.

I don't have much experience with this species, but I could tell it was different right away.  Compared with the resident White-crowned Sparrows, it was much smaller and paler.  Note the relatively subdued facial markings and the prominent white eye ring.

Brewer's Sparrow is a rare fall migrant in this area.  This is the first time I've seen one on Bodega Head.  I saw it briefly, snapped a few quick photos, and then it flew off to the east and I could not relocate it.

From the Birds of North America

 "Most individuals breed in and around Great Basin and winter in Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts of sw. U.S., w. Mexico (including Baja California peninsula), and Mexican Plateau."

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