Peterson's Guide says that Fox sparrows don't necessarily have breast
spots, so if a PNW Fox sparrow can be very light in shading, then that
must be it. Thanks.

-Bob


On Sun, 15 Dec 1996, Z. Thompson wrote:

> Bob Mauritsen wrote:
> >
>
> > Plus one sparrow I can't ID. This description probably fits no known
> > bird, since I didn't know what to really look for. But just in case it
> > rings a bell, here it is. It was feeding in some leafless trees on a dike
> > along the "ditch". It didn't move around much at all in the tree, just
> > sort of made the most of everything in one small area. It was perhaps 8'
> > - 10' above the ground. Wasn't a song sparrow. The initial impression was
> > of a large, plump female house finch. Almost the same color, perhaps a
> > bit grayer. But there was a noticable eyebrow the same color as the
> > background chest. And no noticable stripe down the middle of the head.
> > There was no central chest spot. The chest marking was similar to that of
> > a song sparrow, except for the spot, but gray and perhaps more stripy.
>
> Perhaps a Fox Sparrow?
> Zach
> zath at u.washington.edu
>