Backyard Birdwatch: What is Bird X1?

Time: 6:55-7:15 a.m.

Weather Report: Partly Cloudy, 57°F, 87% Humidity, Winds: WSW @ 5 mph; feels like 57°F. The recently established (and welcome!) pattern of cooler weather continues...

Location: The backyard of my home in the upstate New York city of Rochester. (See map at the bottom of the left column--Castaway's Backyard Birdwatch Layout--for spacial reference.)

Bird Species/Markings/Features:--2 Male American Goldfinch
(Carduelis tristis), 1 em>male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), 1 other bird of undetermined type (see below)

Sights/Sounds/Activities:The environmental "set-up" is almost an exact duplicate of two days ago, when last I posted regrading my Backyard Birdwatch: what seems like quite a bit of "white noise", esepcially traffic noises.

The Droll Yankee cylindrical bird feeder hanging from the Hub 2 tree in the backyard is once again proving very popular among the onsgbirds. Almost half empty, there appear to be a few birds (at least species) which are beomcing "regulars," around the "Nyjer cooler."

Interestingly, this morning I observed not one, but two 2 Male American Goldfinches at the feeder, at first individually and, eventually, at the same time. Initailly the feeder was occupied by the first AG(1) and another bird of undetermined species. After sharing the feeder for about 4 minutes, AG1 flew away quickly and was immediately replaced at the feeder by AG2. This behavior led me to asume that perhaps the other bird was a female AG.

Notes: After referring to my copy of Birds of New York by Stan Tekiela, the bird I was watching did not seem to match either the description or picture presented as that of the female American Goldfinch. A major difference was the coloring of the bill, which in the female AG is decidedly orange. The bird, we'll call (for the meantime) X1, had a light brown/tan bill.

The markings on the flank and wing bar of X1 were much more shraply defined and very reminsicent of the brown and grey streaking of the Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina), than the blacker, greyer solid coloring of the female AG. Although X1's throat, breast and rump were light brown, there was a very dull, slight yellow-ish hue to the feathering, but this may have been a visual distortion created by the sunlight.

When Mr. Tekiela's book could not help me reach a definitive answer as to just what X1 is, I went to another local expert... my wife. Actually, I started talking with Anne, just as she was getting up for work. After talking briefly and explaining that I, too, thought X1 could be a female AG, and explaining why I had dismissed this thought, Anne suggested checking the book entry for a House or Tree Sparrow. The best visual match for X1 is with a female House Sparrow (Passer domesticus).

The House Sparrow, like X1, has a clear breast and dull orangish bill, while lacking the rusty crown of the Tree and Chipping Sparrows. So... as best I can figure, X1 is actually a female House Sparrow!

Breath in, Breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!