February 2012 Bird of the Month White-crowned Sparrow

Walking along trails lined with brushy edges you might see groups of small birds flitting about, often sitting in the trail up ahead feeding on seeds or insects. At first you see the drab brown and gray colors of a sparrow, then lifting your binoculars you can't help but see the bold black and white stripes on the head and the pale pink bill of the White-crowned sparrow. The head markings remind me of the helmet of the old LA Rams NFL Football Team when I was a kid back in the 60's and followed football.

Male White-crowned Sparrow

This handsome, stocky bird one of the most easily identified and larger sparrow species is a year round resident of Northern Utah and one of the two most common species of Sparrow at Farmington Bay, the other being the Song Sparrow.

Female White-crowned Sparrow

Song Sparrow

I have found White-crowned Sparrows one of the most approachable song birds, allowing me to get quite close and take some nice pictures of what in my opinion is a very photogenic little Sparrow.

I took this picture just 2 weeks ago at Glover Pond next to Farmington Bay Nature Center, I'm not sure if these are immature or female, I love the shot with the Cattails in the background.