Golden Sparrow: Why do I keep missing a Common Species

Today, I observed a Golden-crowned Sparrow. I believe this is my first observation of this bird this year, and only my third overall.

According to the Leaderboard for species in Oregon, the Golden-crowned Sparrow is the 8th most observed species of any type of life in Oregon for the year. It is only a little less common than the California Scrub-Jay, and is a little more common than the Song Sparrow. I can literally walk a 5 block distance and hear the California Scrub-Jay, and I have observed 32 of them this year, so far.

So am I doing something wrong? Why is it that this seemingly-common bird is so elusive to me? Does it not live in my city or area (And indeed, most of its observations seem to come from the Portland area). Is it a timid bird? Are there birders with much better equipment that are observing it? Do I see it all the time but not notice it, despite the distinctive yellow on the head?

This is an example, but not the only one, of a relatively common species that I seem to observe rarely.

Also, by chance (?), today I observed another bird in the same genus, the White-crowned Sparrow, close to the same location. The White-crowned Sparrow was a very common bird in Humboldt County, basically a "5-block bird", but I have only observed, I believe, 2 since I have been here.

Posted on April 11, 2021 01:50 AM by mnharris mnharris

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla)

Observer

mnharris

Date

April 10, 2021 02:22 PM HST

Photos / Sounds

What

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

Observer

mnharris

Date

April 10, 2021 02:45 PM HST

Comments

Glad you found it!

Posted by sedgequeen almost 3 years ago

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