A Special Sparrow

This Song Sparrow that I photographed this morning is special to me because it is the first Song Sparrow I have observed at the Salem Audubon Nature Reserve in West Salem.  I started volunteering at the Reserve in December and have reported to eBird.org, 41 checklists, with 35 different species of birds. Until this morning there were only two species that others have reported that I had not seen; a Varied Thrush and a Song Sparrow. The Varied Thrush is a winter visitor to the Valley and was reported in March, and although reported by a very competent birder, I myself have only been tempted to make such an identification by the squeaking car brakes coming down Eola Drive. A Song Sparrow on the other hand, is a very common year around resident, but somehow I had failed to see one until this morning.  It was one of the first few birds I heard when I arrived at the parking lot and I was able to find it and even photograph it as it sang.