Breeding Plumage Golden-crowned Sparrow

The next two weeks were rather quiet. On April 18th a trip out to Lake Mary yielded one Franklin's Gull with a few Ring-billeds, on Tuesday 20th a short trip to Cave Springs added only Painted Redstart and an overdue Red-naped Sapsucker to my year list, and on Thursday 22nd a brief walk around the Kachina Wetlands a few Lark Sparrows and Common Yellowthroat.

But things improved the following weekend when my wife and I spent the morning at the Red Rock Ranger Station near Oak Creek Village. Flycatching birds had arrived and we had western Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird and Ash-thrated Flycatcher. Scott's Orioles were singing from atop the trees and we found a Black-chinned Hummingbird at the feeder. A Green-tailed Towhee was a bit of surprise and 6 new birds for the year was the highest in one day since we were at the Bill Will in early February.

A posting that day told of a Golden-crowned Sparrow visiting a feeder at The Peaks in Flagstaff, and I popped round on Sunday morning. This bird was my first breeding plumaged Golden-crowned Sparrow - very different from the drab winter birds that I had seen previously.

Golden-crowned Sparrow