Whatbird.com

I have flocks of these sparrows all of the sudden, feeding on the ground.  Don't quite fit the house sparrow, american tree sparrow, or white-throated sparrows, nor the song sparrows that I have seen.

 

 

 

I know you will educate me right now--thank you in advance for your help! 

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"So many sparrows, so little time!"

I think it fits best for American tree sparrow.

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"You can cage a bird, but you cannot make him sing."
Andy

Markings on the chest don't suggest tree sparrow, more like Song Sparrow???

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Ken Stenek
Shishmaref, Alaska

Check out my NEW Birds of Shishmaref site at:
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Song Sparrow.

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Warbler Life List: 35 species
Sparrow Life List: 18 species
Owl Life List: 9 species

 

 Tree sparrows don't have a streaked chest like that, and I don't see the conspicuous black dot either.

 I'd guess song sparrow, but the head doesn't look right, too much gray.

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Don't cry because it's over, smile because you were there.

I dont have my Sibley with me at work... fox sparrow?

Fox sparrows have a brown cheek area and look almost like a thrush.  Sparrows are very difficult to ID, arent' they?  I've been actually considering getting a field guide to keep in my desk just for things like this!!  I need my Peterson's!

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Matthew 6:26

i'm not a fan of the LBJ's!  (little brown jobs, as an old professor of mine called the little brown sparrows that were just too tough to ID in the field).  same thing with gulls.

With sparrows, practice makes perfect. Study them in the field as much as you can and after a while they're just like any other group of birds.

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Warbler Life List: 35 species
Sparrow Life List: 18 species
Owl Life List: 9 species

Like TheGrine said, practice makes perfect. And this sure is a Song Sparrow.

Yes, a Song sparrow.

Are the pics of the same bird?

The first two are Song Sparrows, but the last looks like a Swamp Sparrow.

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Good Luck Birding
Josh

joshc, I can see why you ask if these are the same bird.  They are, but they move so fast that the first pic is in a mulched flowerbed where a heavy bird feeder fell.  That's why the ground is so dark.  Just outside that area, where it is completely a muddied ran down trail, my red doberman girl makes a perimeter trail.   That is why the ground looks so different.  But I used burst, & went through many pics to get a handful that could identify.  I thought song sparrow, but I am completely unsure.  I think I have down the house sparrow (definite mask,)  american tree sparrow (spot on the chest,) white-throated sparrow (white throat, yellow eye spot,) &  the song sparrow.   But the song sparrows I have seen are so much lighter in their markings; not so brilliant.  Sparrows are so tricky!!!!   I thank you all for your insight!!!  You are invaluable!  :)

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"So many sparrows, so little time!"

 The first two pics are of a Song Sparrow, but the last is a Swamp, I am sure of it.  Are you sure while you were snapping shots the Swamp Sparrow came in and the Song Sparrow went?

Look at the lower sides, or flanks.  On the Song Sparrow, there is clearly heavy streaking, on the flanks of the Swamp Sparrow there is no streaking, it is solid gray.  Also the back pattern isn't right, and either is what we can see of the face. 

Here is the pic of the Swamp Sparrow with its flanks highlighted.  Next is the Song Sparrow with its flanks highlighted.  

 

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Good Luck Birding
Josh

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Good Luck Birding
Josh