Rufous-crowned Sparrow

I’m quite used to spotting Rufous-crowned Sparrows along the bike trail at Lake Natoma; and apparently they are also used to seeing people using the trail, given their fairly bold behavior and willingness to pose for pictures. Out at Folsom Lake, along the north fork of the American River, the birds are much more shy — so I was pleased to capture a couple of photos before this little one flew off along with the rest of his nervous flock.

I shot this photo at a long distance after noticing the male Common Merganser, and it wasn’t until I looked at the image on the computer at home that I noticed the red-headed female in the water.