On 7/4 I saw the bird in this photo at about 10,000 feet in the White Mountains of eastern California. It's the range just east of the Sierra, so is pretty dry up there. It was springtime up there, and this guy and his/her mate were pretty actively, well, mating.
It looks like the pictures I see of a Chipping Sparrow, but the habitat doesn't seem to match what is described for them, and would seem to match better a Rufous-crowned sparrow. Any ideas? Unfortunately, this is the only photo that my husband took of the bird, but it does give a pretty look at the pattern on the head.
Janet Roth
http://suisekiart.com
