tan-striped White-throated Sparrow at Poppoff on December 23, 2014 ©Kevin S. Lucas

tan-striped White-throated Sparrow at Poppoff on December 23, 2014 ©Kevin S. Lucas

One of 2 tan-striped White-throated Sparrows I found here on December 18th as I spread seed at the sparrow patch for the first time this season. They came in while I was standing there, unperturbed. They've stuck around for others to see too, along with a Harris's Sparrow I found the next week, also unperturbed by me and our dog Nori. It too has been seen by many locals. It's a fun incentive to keep cleaning up and stocking the site. It's nice that all the local eBird listers who reported seeing them gave me credit for the finds, with the usual exception of Scott Downes. Someone has to set the low bar. Walter Szeliga, from the Ellensburg area, also saw a third White-throated Sparrow, a white-striped individual. With the White-crowned and Golden-crowned, a nice crop of Zonotricia sparrows.