Sparrows

There was a light drizzle and it was starting to get foggy when heading out to volunteer at Reifel. On arriving the parking lot was fairly empty, but that is to be expected this close to Christmas. Some of the regular birders and volunteers were also helping out with the Ladner Christmas bird count today. While a little on the gloomy side, I still tried to get a few photos. While watching the sparrows for something out of the ordinary,

Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco

… I managed this Dark-eyed Junco,

Fox Sparrow
Fox Sparrow

… and a Fox Sparrow along the east dyke trail.

Lincoln's Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow

Then at the junction of the inner display ponds this Lincoln’s Sparrow. As none were seen when they did the count here earlier today, this one got added to the tally. I did get another glimpse of my current nemesis, the Swamp Sparrow, but still no photo.

Song Birds & Mallard

Weather wise it was not a pleasant morning. After the rain let up it was still overcast and on the cool side when I headed out the door for a walk. Nothing out of the ordinary so that allowed for some time with the regulars.

Spotted Towhee
Spotted Towhee

Despite still being a little gloomy along the trails,

Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco

… I still managed a few shots.

Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow

This one spot was active with this Song Sparrow using the same perch as the Junco.

Mallard
Mallard

On the waterfowl front there never seems to be any shortage of these. This female Mallard is fanning her wings after finishing a preening session. This was also the finish of my walk as it was starting to rain again.

A Switch To Song Birds

With most of the shore bird migration behind us now, it is time to change gears. This started with the last post focusing mostly on water birds. Despite the grey and drizzly weather the last few days I have managed a few walks. They have been to Reifel where there have been some interesting song birds worth giving a try. One bird that has been seen off and on for a few weeks now is a White-throated Sparrow. Unfortunately I have yet to locate it, so I turned my attention to some of the regulars.

White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow

Lots of White-crowned Sparrows around,

White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow

… including immature birds. One change of pace,

Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)

… was this Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco. In this part of British Columbia we are most likely to see them at this time of year.

Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)

The Oregon Dark-eyed Junco is what we are used to seeing here most of the time. The other bird I was hoping to see was the Evening Grosbeak that had been sighted.

Evening Grosbeak
Evening Grosbeak

While I did manage to locate and photograph it, the location and lighting were not the best. The bird itself was looking a little bedraggled as well.

House Sparrow
House Sparrow

Of course there is never any shortage of House Sparrows. This species was introduced to North America from Europe and are referred to as Old World Sparrows.

House Sparrow
House Sparrow

While similar in appearance and behavior, they are a different family from the other New World Sparrows. Another change of pace while watching sparrows,

Hermit Thrush
Hermit Thrush

… was a couple of Hermit Thrush mixed in with them foraging on the ground. Continuing to scour the mixed groups for the White-throated, something else caught my eye.

Fox Sparrow
Fox Sparrow

This odd colored Fox Sparrow, perhaps partially leucistic.

Fox Sparrow
Fox Sparrow

This is how I would normally expect them to look. So while nothing too much out of the ordinary, a couple of interesting finds.