Blue-gray Gnatcatcher & Black-throated Sparrow

A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Colorado National Monument, Grand Junction, CO; 6/10/11.

Two other fairly common birds that I spotted on our trip out to California was the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Above), which I spotted at the Colorado National Monument (it is also common back in northern Illinois) and ...

A Black-throated Sparrow, Monument Valley, AZ; 6/11/2011

... the Black-throated Sparrow in Monument Valley, which I spotted in its usual habitat for this sparrow - in very arid areas, such as desert scrub with sparse vegitation.

For more information about these two bird check my past posts:

http://northernillinoisbirder.blogspot.com/2011/06/blue-gray-gnatcatcher-late-april.html

http://northernillinoisbirder.blogspot.com/2010/08/black-throated-sparrow-11.html

Sunset of the Day

I love the purple sky in this Bauman Park sunset, Rockford, IL; 5/30/2006