Mystery bird

I knew what this bird was when I took the photo but had forgotten by the time I downloaded it. The snow has been gone for over a week now. However, it has not dried up enough for everyone to finish harvesting. This bird is either a Harris Sparrow or a Purple finch with its colour not evident because of the lighting.

Harris sparrows aplenty.

These are two photos of Harris sparrows. The second does not show the big black bib. There have been more around the feeder the last few days than I have seen in ages and certainly this whole year. Perhaps they are on their way south along with lots of juncos.

Harris sparrows

There are more Harris sparrows around the feeder than I have ever seen before. The same is true of white-crowned sparrows. This is a photo of a Harris sparrow on the ground beneath the feeder. There is a white-crowned sparrow also with the crown hidden somewhat by the feeder post.

First Harris Sparrow this year..

This is my own photo complete with some raspberry stain! At least the sparrow is clear enough to identify. This is the first Harris sparrow I have seen this year but I imagine I will probably see a few more. I think most of them breed further north so perhaps this one will not be around too long. Maybe it is just filling up for the trip north.