Harris's Sparrow

I'm not sure if I had seen one before, but I'd certainly never identified a Harris's sparrow by myself before. This handsome sparrow was on our front lawn on Sunday. I certainly won't forget this one now that I know it, with its distinctive black face and pink beak.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says about the Harris's sparrow:

The striking Harris's Sparrow is rarely found far east or west of the middle of North America. It breeds along the edge of boreal forest and tundra in north-central Canada, and spends the winter in the very central region of the United States.

It didn't apparently hang out at our house for long; it had many miles to go to reach those north-central-Canadian breeding grounds.