While mostly silent and often difficult to find in SE AZ in winter, Baird's Sparrow is much more conspicuous when singing on its breeding grounds in the prairie states and provinces. Eastern Montana and North Dakota have decent breeding populations and June is perhaps the best time to look for this grassland species. This individual was photographed at Lostwood NWR in ND on June 13, 2005.

This colorful (as sparrows go), secretive and quietly singing little dude can be a tough nut to crack. Their breeding range is quite limited outside of the Canadian provinces and it almost became a nemesis bird for me. I found one near Bottineau in North Dakota after a week of effort in June 2005. This individual, photographed at Lostwood NWR in ND on June 11, 2009, wasn't much easier!

In Arizona, McCown's Longspur is a rare to uncommon winter visitor and is usually not easy to find. Also, they aren't much to look at in their drab winter garb. It's a different story in summer when they are easy to find displaying in several states and provinces; and certainly easy on the eye. This individual was photographed in Pawnee National Grasslands, CO on June 24, 2009.