January Sparrows

We have been getting January weather for the past couple of weeks.  Sub-freezing temperatures, blue skies and sunshine are typical for early January.  This is not typical for November which is usually our rainiest month.  Days on end of blue skies and sunshine in November is simply weird.  Local wildlife is also looking a lot like January.

The breeding range of the Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) is British Columbia, the southern Yukon and western and southern Alaska.  Then they spend the winter in southwestern B.C., along the western US coast to northern Baja California.  They are regular visitors to my feeders at this time of the year.  They are fond of safflower seed.

I spotted this bird yesterday in the Kukutali Preserve patrolling the south beach near Flagstaff Island.  Green stains on the beak reveal finding something good to eat there.  This is the bird's winter plumage.  In the breeding season, it has a black cap that surrounds a bright yellow crown.

The Nootka Rose thicket along the shoreline provides an abundant food source for many types of birds, including the Golden-crowned Sparrow.

The Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is probably our most common winter sparrow.  Unlike the Golden-crowned, however, this one is also a year around resident.  I photographed this bird last weekend in the sand dunes at West Beach in Deception Pass State Park.  Both species seem to enjoy seaside living.

Our local birds tend to be darker and redder than in other parts of North America.  Another characteristic probably gave them their name.  This bird loves to perch and sing and they do this anytime, anywhere, all year around.

Another good spot to find these two sparrows is Fir Island in the Skagit River Delta.  They are both among the easiest to photograph.  They tend to perch and remain still long enough to catch a shot.  Sometimes I wonder if they stop to watch us while we are watching them.

Rainy weather is supposed to return day after tomorrow.  It will probably finish out the month.  This bright interlude has been a welcome break from what November usually brings us.  Our January sparrows seem to have enjoyed it as well.