White-throated Sparrow, Beaverton, Oregon, 16 December 2011 by Greg Gillson. Finding a White-throated Sparrow at my feeder is always a delight. But three? That's special! A tan-striped adult has been present since November, and this white-striped adult for a couple of weeks. Then these two and a streaky immature bird were all together feeding on the ground in late December!
And there's nothing remarkable about our tiny yard in suburban Beaverton, Oregon. In fact, I wouldn't think it worthy of the special birds I've seen this and last winter.
Here are the White-throated Sparrow records in eBird from Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. They show, that when seen, the average is only one-and-a-quarter birds. And they are only found on less of 3% of all checklists, fall through spring.
I discussed this species in a previous post this spring when one of these birds graced my feeders back then.