MTGuru's Neighbors Sighted in MPLS

[Nanohedron]

Outside my window today I saw birds I'd never seen before:



It's a Golden-Crowned Sparrow and I imagine MTGuru should know this one well, for its normal habitat is the far west of the continent:



Did some Googling around and in one ornie page for South Dakota, for example, there were only two known reported sightings mentioned, so it's called a very rare visitor there, and here it is even further eastward. Now, the weather here lately is I suppose not too different from much of their more inland northern breeding range, so I'm not surprised by their not having brought sunglasses, deck chairs and umbrella'd drinks along; there they were, foraging around on the lawn and having a grand old time and not looking lost at all.

And this isn't the first Westerly visitor I've seen here. We also have had Western Chipmunks:



Another critter definitely far afield from its typical range.

I wonder if they'll be taking up permanent residence, and why they'd even come here in the first place. Maybe it's for the dinner theater.

[MTGuru]

It's a Golden-Crowned Sparrow and I imagine MTGuru should know this one well, for its normal habitat is the far west of the continent

Hmmm, s/he does look familiar. The sparrows here are different from the East Coast sparrows I grew up with. Mostly in the yard I see sparrows, wrens, flycatchers, and jays. They like to sit on the fence posts and dive-bomb the lawn for bugs.

The eucalyptus grove behind the house is home to hawks and owls. We have a resident mockingbird across the street. And lots of hummingbirds, especially when I put out feeders. A huge flock of crows invaded a few months ago, but they seem to have moved on.

The funniest sight was a few years ago, when a road runner somehow got trapped in the yard and couldn't figure out how to exit the low fence. He'd stand at one end, then suddenly dash (meep meep!) to the other end, then back to the other end, then ... This went on for half an hour until he finally realized he could just hop the fence. They really are fast.

I wonder if they'll be taking up permanent residence, and why they'd even come here in the first place. Maybe it's for the dinner theater.

Or maybe they're trying the escape the high taxes.

[Nanohedron]

Hmmm, s/he does look familiar.

As it happens, your gender caution is entirely apt; info says there is little sexual dimorphism apparent to the casual observer in that species. That wee streak of bright yellow is pretty striking; reminds me of a tilak. If they keep hanging around, I might start calling them Guru Birds in your honor.

This went on for half an hour until [the roadrunner] finally realized he could just hop the fence. They really are fast.

Only just not in the brain department.

I wonder if they'll be taking up permanent residence, and why they'd even come here in the first place. Maybe it's for the dinner theater.

Or maybe they're trying the escape the high taxes.

If that's the idea, they didn't exactly make the right decision in coming here, I can tell you.

[chas]

This went on for half an hour until [the roadrunner] finally realized he could just hop the fence. They really are fast.

Only just not in the brain department.

Evidently the cartoons are only half right. I suspect the scientific name isn't really Tastyus supersonicus, either.

[Caroluna]

That wee streak of bright yellow is pretty striking; reminds me of a tilak. If they keep hanging around, I might start calling them Guru Birds in your honor.

Tilak -- I'll add that word to my vocabulary

http://radhekrishna.org/types-of-tilak/

A lot of birds have those -- don't know why?