Fairly common and widespread there were often flocks of House Finches seen. The bright red male was part of a flock of mixed finches and sparrows at a 'drip' in Jawbone Canyon whilst the 'yellow' male on the wire, a much scarcer colour phase, was at Big Morongo Canyon Reserve sharing the same wire fencing as normal House Finches along with Bluebirds and Phoebes'
California - November 2009
Passerines: page 4
Northern Mockingbird
American Buff-bellied Pipit
Loggerhead Shrike
Marsh Wren
Hermit Thrush
Western Bluebird
Cedar Waxwing
Mountain Bluebird
Phainopepla
Pygmy Nuthatch
Oak Titmouse
Say's Phoebe
Clarke's Nutcracker
American Crow
Yellow-billed Magpie
Brewers Blackbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsends Warbler
House Finch
Song Sparrow
Sage Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrows were generally uncommon with the only real numbers of birds seen being at Big Morongo Canyon Reserve and Elkhorn Slough, where this one was photographed.
The desert of Jawbone Canyon produced the largest numbers of Sage Sparrows due to a leak in a pipe that attracted a significant flock of mixed sparrows and finches.
The diminutive Black-throated Sparrow was fist seen in the mixed flock of birds at Jawbone Canyon and then again at Big Morongo Canyon Reserve but after that it was rather scarce.
White-crowned Sparrow was very common and widespread, often in fairly large sized flocks. The birds below were photographed at Jawbone Canyon and Golden Gate Park respectively. With so many birds around it wasn't difficult to get some decent shots.
Several forms of Fox Sparrows exist in North America with this individual belonging to the 'Thick-billed Fox Sparrow' Group. It was the only Fox Sparrow form to be seen during the entire trip and was readily 'pished' out of cover on Mt. Pinos at several spots along the road up the mountain.