Song sparrow in the grass.

Lots and lots of these little brown birds yesterday, spread out over the field and in the vegetation at the edge of the pond and woods, pecking and poking around.

You couldn’t really call it a flock since they were not very close together. Not a flock, just fellow travelers.

They were by far the most numerous bird out back yesterday.

A rich, russet-and-gray bird with bold streaks down its white chest, the Song Sparrow is one of the most familiar North American sparrows. Don’t let the bewildering variety of regional differences this bird shows across North America deter you: it’s one of the first species you should suspect if you see a streaky sparrow in an open, shrubby, or wet area.