A New Sparrow (and a blackbird)
(click on photo to enlarge)
New bird sightings around the feeders have pretty much leveled off in January. No new species since December 30 when a totally unexpected Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) appeared at the feeders. It hung around for a couple of hours and was not seen again. It was probably very happy to find water, even if it was only in the little birdbaths. Why this bird ventured away from its normal habitat is a mystery. The closest riparian area is in St. David, about 15 miles from here! It didn’t pose well for photos but here it is, hiding in the mesquite.
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
On January 29, I spent a good part of the morning driving around the oak grasslands near Cochise Stronghold looking for Black-chinned Sparrows (Spizella atrogularis). They should be up here but I was not rewarded for my efforts. Then a surprise the next morning right at the birdbath — a Black-chinned Sparrow! This bird looks like a cross between a junco and a sparrow — gray body, black on the face, pinkish legs but with the brown-feathered wings of a sparrow. The tail is particularly long. It also turned out to be life bird #577!
Black-chinned Sparrow (Spizella atrogularis)
The sparrow seems to be hanging around because it also appeared again the following day.
Black-chinned Sparrow (Spizella atrogularis)
Today is February 1. Who knows what this month will bring as the days get longer and it begins to warm up?
Published by Arlene Ripley on February 1st, 2009 Tagged Arizona, Birds, Cochise County, Nature
February 5th, 2009 at 11:01 am
We just returned to KY from a great trip to Wings over Willcox. Is your new house on the way to Chiricahua National Monument? I remember seeing a really nice house on that road, and yours sure reminds me of it. I missed the Black-chinned Sparrow. Guess we’ll have to come back!