Harris's Sparrow!

This little guy got blown off its migratory path by windy weather back in December. It landed in a "friendly" backyard as the person who owns the property is a serious birder with a bird watching business named "Let's Go Birding." Needless to say, she was kind enough to post this rare bird on a variety of birder sites and now they almost need traffic control near their residential home. I caught this shot Monday (backblip) and was delighted to see him and enjoy the story.

Harris's Sparrows are a bit bigger than the normal sparrow - especially around northern California. They migrate from the Arctic and winter in Central/South America. This one was heading south on his way to warmer climates and got blown off course by serious winds. This type of thing happens frequently with various migratory species, but this one was lucky to land where he did. He has been there since December 4th 2011. He won't be there for long, but in the meantime he is quite a celebrity.

Enjoy!