Day 226: And here's another little stinker who should have showed up for Big Day, but declined: Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina). His facial characteristics distinguish him from similar chestnut-hatted Brewer's and Clay-coloured Sparrows, most notably the black line which crosses the eye. The loral stripe can be difficult to observe (i.e., the portion of the line between the eye and the beak), particularly in young birds, but it is absent in the other two species. Except during breeding season when they consume insects, their diet consists primarily of small seeds like those found on grasses and weeds, but they will also take black-oil sunflower seed from feeders if smaller seed is unavailable. This one was having a heyday with the dandelions alongside my driveway.
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