Fancy a brew?

It was Sparrow-tastic on the outskirts of Tequis yesterday, where I found a nice bit of scrubland.

The pick - my first Brewer's Sparrows. But they certainly weren't alone.  Also knocking about in a short stretch were Grasshopper Sparrows, loads of Vesper Sparrows, Lark Sparrows and Clay-colored Sparrows.

Clay-colored Sparrow

Brewer's Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

It was arguably even better a day before when I found a cheeky Pyrrhuloxia.  Only the second 'Desert Cardinal' I've seen, and certainly the first in this part of Queretaro.

Sparrow Central

I was out birding a bit of semi-desert scrub land by the train tracks above Tequisquiapan this evening. There were plenty of birds typical of this habitat: Loggerhead Shrikes, Cassin's Kingbirds and Inca Doves for example.

What caught the eye, though, were the large flocks of Sparrows. Lark Sparrows and Clay-coloured Sparrows are common as muck at the moment, but I got my bins on an unfamiliar Sparrow as well. Fortunately I was able to get a record shot, and identify it as a Vesper Sparrow at home.

The prominent white eye-ring was the most useful feature.

The colours on this Lark Sparrow were nice in the fading evening light.