Whatbird.com

Taken in early May, near Sedona, AZ

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Al in Tacoma
www.pbase.com/alndonna

Looks like a myiarchus flycatcher through the crest shape---very tough to ID with mulberry-stained bill and feathers puffed out. There are at least 3 or 4 possibilities there in May (migration high season).

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8 days camping in Western Colorado and 5 new birds: Juniper Titmouse, Mountain Bluebird, Black-billed Magpie, Clark's Nutcracker, Gray Jay. Beautiful!!!

Seems more sparrow like to me, but I don't know my western sparrows much.

Scott

It's not a flycatcher.  With the faint wingbars and tinges of blue that I'm seeing, I would be inclined to call it a female or juvenile lazuli bunting.

Ah yes, bunting is even a better fit than sparrow.  With that fine streaking and whitish throat, could it not be juvenile indigo in Arizona? 

Scott

Could be, I don't think I considered that, but they are in Arizona.  I don't know exactly where the range cutoff between lazuli and indigo begins, and I think there's probably some overlap.  The wingbars and the overall cinnamon tinge were the main things that made me think lazuli, but indigo is a possibility too.  Being in Alabama, I don't really know just what a juvie lazuli looks like.