As I was headed to my truck this morning after my shift at work I heard a bird singing in the pasture across the street. I didn’t recognize the song so I unpacked the camera and binoculars and went to see what it was. After a few minutes of listening, looking, and walking I located a small bird that was launching himself 10 or 15 feet into the air and then gliding to a perch on nearby yucca stalks or mesquite bushes, singing a beautiful, trilling melody all the while. The bird was pretty obviously a sparrow but didn’t seem to have any unusual markings to help with the identification. The only defining thing about him was the distinct song and territorial behavior he exhibited. I was able to identify him by these characteristics as a Cassin’s Sparrow using the Audubon Birds of North America app on my phone. He’s not much to look at but he sings beautifully.

I also spent an hour at Spring Canyon and though I didn’t see anything new, I was finally able to get some nice photos of the Common Yellowthroat and the Blue Grosbeak I’ve been seeing out there for the last week or so. These guys are pretty good singers themselves. For more shots of the three birds and for other songbirds check out the Passerine Gallery