Fox Sparrows

Last year I had a magical birding experience with lots of close encounters and great photo ops of special birds, only to find not a single picture had been saved to the card in my camera.  I nearly cried when I found out.   Later, I learned that the card was faulty and once I replaced it, the problem was solved.  But I lost the pictures of my first Fox Sparrow.   I went back several times to that same location looking for it, but had no luck.

Today I  found two Fox Sparrows foraging in the roadside in some dirt that had been recently dislodged by snowplows.  I couldn't get very close to them, and every time a car went by, they flew into the woods, but it was wonderful to see them!

Fox Sparrow

As you can see, this is a large sparrow with interesting coloring and a beautifully streaked breast.  It gets its name from the rich red hue in its feathers.  The tail color is especially noticeable.

Even though this is not a good photo, I like the way it shows the tail feathers of the Fox Sparrow.  The bird to the left is an American Robin.  The edges of its coloring look purple due to the contrast of its feathers against the snow and the low quality of my camera lens!

Joining the Fox Sparrows at the roadside were:  Dark-Eyed Juncos, American Robins and a White-Crowned Sparrow.  In a nearby bush was a Hairy Woodpecker.  Once again, I'm glad I forced myself to go out!

White-Throated Sparrow

unfortunately posing in front of roadside litter