Yesterday morning I finally found a nice window of time to travel the 100 miles SE needed to see a Harris's Sparrow in Connecticut. Originally found by Annie and Mike Perko whilst I was in Arizona in early January, this long staying bird was coming into a seeded area with other sparrows more or less at the spot where it was originally found. I was extremely grateful to receive excellent directions, and tips on the behavior of the bird before I'd even got there!
The Harris's Sparrow appeared about four times over a one hour period in late morning, consistently feeding with White-throated, Song and American Tree Sparrows. It seemed skittish and remained hidden for extended periods, and in the end I settled for a few, partially obscured digi-scope shots. The bird's bill color was interesting with the upper mandible appearing distinctly orange-red in some of the images.
Two other birds surprised me here, a fly-over Killdeer and a Red-shouldered Hawk, neither of which I'd expect to see back home at this time of year.
Two other birds surprised me here, a fly-over Killdeer and a Red-shouldered Hawk, neither of which I'd expect to see back home at this time of year.
Harris's Sparrow - first-winter, Norwich Ave, Lebanon, New London, CT. February 3rd, 2012.
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