Looks to be a Lark Sparrow.

-O-

Wow..I remember those from when I taught in Mexico

Uh oh, are they the bad birds? I read somewhere that sparrows will pull bluebird babies out of their nests and kill them and then take over the nest. Will these do that?

Oh & right below the tree, about 2 feet from the nest were these two. Again, bad picture, compounded by being shot through a window screen, but we didn't want to open the door and interrupt them. The male caught one of those little earth-worm-eating-snakes and held it in his beak until they were finished, and then he dropped it in front of the female and she ate it.

{{!gwi}}

What a pretty bird. It is only the House Sparrow aka Weaver Finch that gives the bad name to sparrows. The House Sparrow is the only sparrow that will enter a nestbox and kill the baby/adult birds or smash the eggs. Your Lark Sparrow will do no harm to cavity nesting birds.

Donna

Too bad the picture of the Roadrunner didn't turn out better. I love it when I see one of those. They do eat snakes.

Thanks Donna. This evening that nest has 4 eggs in it.

bob414, I did get a better picture of just the female, but it was through a window too, the top part which had no screen behind it. Every time it even saw us through a window, it ran off, so this time I just stuck the camera lens through the mini blinds and aimed in the general direction.

The first time it turned right toward me, and the second shot shows it leaving. Maybe it heard the mini blinds rattle.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

I clicked the fix button on the photo software and it seems to be easier to see the bird in the 2nd photo.