HTown, don't be too comfortable with them. I've been feeding the ones in our yard off and on for awhile, but I never get too close to them. No matter how "familiar" you may be with them, they still have an instinctive distrust for people and they have the potential to be dangerous. Most people don't like them because they've had bad experiences with them, just like many other types of wildlife that invade or wreak some form of destruction on their property, and that's completely understandable. They can also be aggressive towards pets. I made a point of mentioning to my neighbors that there were raccoons active in our area. If you get to feeding them and slack off, they could move on to another property where they're not as welcome and that could have negative consequences for the neighbor, the raccoon or both. I'm not saying don't feed or enjoy them, but make sure you educate yourself on them before you get into it on a regular or semi-regular basis. Make sure there are no means for them to access your house including the roof and chimney, because once they know where the food is coming from they could try to find an easier way to get to it. It's best not to leave food for them near your house for this reason. One of the first things I did when I knew how much they came around was make sure they couldn't get on our roof from any trees, the area around our deck was sealed, and our chimney cap was secure. I added chicken(Actually smaller gapped fencing than chicken wire) wire around the opening to ensure there was no access.(Something I was going to do anyway to deter the birds that ended up in our living room.) This link I found can cover it a little more indepth. These are just tips, but they can be helpful. Feeding Tips I guess my message is it's fine to enjoy them, but make sure you know what you're getting yourself in for, as there are a few things to consider. :-)

General strategies: As people have correctly mentioned, give birds food, water and cover. Make a habitat with a canopy, subcanopy, and groundcover (think 3-dimensional - this helps build species diversity for insects, birds, etc). Make sure you have some thickets and vines too. If you can let a hidden corner grow up in mature grasses - your sparrows, buntings, Goldfinches, Siskins, and other seed-eating birds will thank you. Try and encourage Panicum species of grass. Good trees: Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera): nectar-filled spring flowers for butterflies and songbirds, seeds are relished in fall/winter by Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, etc. Host plant for multiple kinds of butterflies. Red Mulberry (Morus rubra): spring berries relished by songbirds, dying fall leaves host leaf-rollers and other "warbler food". Host Plant for Polyphemus Moth. American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana): nutlets prized by birds, host plant for Tiger Swallowtails and Red-spotted Purple butterflies. Black Gum (Nyssa Sylvatica). Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) (great cover for daytime refuge and roosting at night) Oaks (Quercus sp.) Good shrubs: Native Viburnum species Native Ilex species Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) Red Chokeberry - (Aronia arbutifolia) Good vines: native Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) Wild Grape (Vitis sp.)

well, the horns were definitely more like the head of the lark, but you are right I would have noticed the specific markings of a mature male. Horned larks are not really in our area except rarely in the winter. Streaked larks are around but I have never seen one. Probably more likely would be juvenile house finch since I have oodles of finches. thanks

We get them here in south central Illinois. We had one a couple years ago that stayed around about a year and a half then disappeared. We've had another one now for about 9 months. The odd thing is we only ever see just one, never a pair. They are busy little guys and hide a tremendous amount of seed.