California Towhee
A common bird of the scrublands and mountains. These images were taken in the Cuyamaca Mountains of California, except the last, which was taken at the Ramona Grasslands, Ramona, California.
Abert's Towhee
Found primarily in desert locations in the southwest, this one was photographed at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR, at the visitor center where seed and water are available.
Spotted Towhee
Usually a rather secretive bird of the brushlands and forests. This one was photographed in the Cuyamaca Mountains, California.
White-crowned Sparrow
A very common sparrow in the wintertime in Southern California. Adults are alike, and have black and white stripes on the crown, but immature birds have warm brown stripes in place of the black. The birds in Images 1-4 below were photographed in the Cuyamaca Mountains, California. The immature bird in Images 5 and 6 was photographed at the Palm Canyon Trailhead in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California in November.
Golden-crowned Sparrow
A less-frequently seen species, sometimes in the vicinity of White-crowns in the Cuyamaca Mountains, California, as the one below.
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
A bird of coastal sage scrub habitat, this one was photographed in a patch of Eriogonum fasciculatum at Lake Hodges, on the San Diego side, California.
Song Sparrow
Often found skulking in the undergrowth in many places in the west, these were photographed in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, California.
Savannah Sparrow
This image is from Rangeland Road in Ramona, San Diego County, California, where this species is fairly abundant.
Black-throated Sparrow
Photographed in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California.
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
Birds of the mountains in most cases, they move downslope slightly in winter. Some breed in my vicinity at 4200 feet in the Cuyamaca Mountains, though. All images below taken in the Cuyamaca Mountains, California.
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)
A rare form in southern California. This one appeared in the Cuyamaca Mountains in January of 2021.
Dark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed)
A rare form in southern California. This one appeared in the Cuyamaca Mountains in January of 2021.
