AMERICAN TREE SPARROW FORAGING IN SNOW, LYNDE SHORES CONSERVATION AREA, WHITBY, ON

   We can ID this sparrow as a American Tree Sparrow as follows:

• Plump with long notched tail.
• Rufous crown and rufous back.
• Bicolored bill.
• Dark spot in center of chest.
• Has two bright white wingbars, but in the poses in these photos you can only see the longer wingbar, not the smaller one nearer the neck.  This is consistent with a number of photos on the internet.

   The American Tree Sparrow is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 281.