Nature Walk: Harris's Sparrow

Brown is the essence of late autumn when bright gold, reds and yellows have begun to fade. There are many shades of brown, some light and some dark. They may be tinted with yellow, red, gray or even green. Migrating birds such as the Harris's sparrow, pictured above, blend in perfectly as they feed on seeds hidden in dry vegetation. These birds are native sparrows that migrate south from nesting areas on the tundra and forest of the northern Canadian provinces to spend the winter in the central United States.