We were shocked to see a forecast for possible snow today. This late in the year, we are all starved for spring. Thankfully, there was a fresh sign of spring: an American Robin in our yard, foraging on the ground with some White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Black-capped Chickadees flitting overhead in the branches. Even in the rain or snow, life in Alaska is good.
The White-crowned Sparrow lives in the Southern US and Mexico during the winter. They are year-round residents of Oregon, Western Washington, and so on as seen. Many come to Alaska in the summer. They breed in bushes and stunted trees on taiga and tundra. This is a Gambel's subspecies. The median crown stripe meets the gray lores and the supercilium is not pinched off. The bill is also orange, but would be yellow in Pacific and pink in Dark-lored varieties.