Those two are on my "possibles" list, thank you! It has so many indications of either one. Really looks more like the Fox, but is small like the Song. Just watched it fly, and it has a woodpecker-type movement. My National Geographic bird book says the Song pumps it's tail in flight. Also, the Fox would be quite out of it's winter range, but that's certainly not unheard of. I'm leaning toward the Song sparrow. Hope I can get a better look at it's head today.

BN, that was really great description/comparison between the two. Thanks much for your input. Think you, Jan, and beegood are right on about it being a song sparrow! -mxyplx, maybe a new prescription is in order??? ;-) This guy isn't a Junco, but don't you just love those little guys? Never used to have them (or at least see them) around this particular area until a few years ago. Now they are all over the place and I am very glad of it! Think the ones around here may be the Oregon Junco... CMK

Yes, the mystery deepens! My neighbor has several bird feeders, and I have a large old concrete birdbath that I was cleaning out and refilling every couple of days during the record breaking hot summer. It was not uncommon to see 6+ different birds at the bath at one time. The area is sheltered with many mature trees and shrubs, especially spruce, hemlock, lilacs, viburnums breaking the winds that come in from the west. I live in an 1895 house in an old rural town (Big Rock, IL, Est 1834), with farm fields nearby as well as some prairie woodlands that have never been developed (aka ruined, LOL). I have seen other critters that I have not seen in decades when I lives 25 miles closer to Chicago. Preying Mantis, Luna and some Sphinx moths, even a Hellbender salamander digging into my burn pile (got relocated to the creek bank). And I'm still a novice. I'm wondering if these variables might have some species passing through at times that might otherwise not be considered "regular" In the Metro Chicago area? Just looked through a 1936 copy of Pearson's Birds of America and came away with few ideas. Purple Grackle seems similar, but what I saw was slimmer and not as iridescent. Similar thoughts about Blackbirds, Grackles and Purple Martins. The shape of the tail reminded me of male cardinals, but the birds were a bit smaller, about 3/4-7/8 the size. The white tail patch was only visible when the birds started to take off. I saw this more than once. It was kind of in the middle of the rump as opposed to the end of the tail. From what I saw of the birds, the underside was certainly a dark color as well. I looked through a few other birding books I have between the first and the last sightings, and nothing listed matched. I wondered if it/they might have been a lesser mentioned subspecies or a juvenile. Interesting....

just checked google images....yup, I think that's it! So cute...! (but I think the Northern Mockingbird is prettier though!) :-) Tx!