passerella (sparrow) iliaca (flanks)
Sunday, April 6, 1980 — 4:15 pm
Barrington, Illinois — Crabtree Nature Center
When I spotted this bird, I let my wife obey the stay-on-the-path rules, while I took off into the woods in disregard for the law. I chased the sparrow for quite a ways before I got a satisfactory look. It was foraging in the underbrush in the woods near the apple orchard. Sundays draw large crowds, and I was somewhat worried about getting caught in my lawlessness. As soon as I had a positive i.d. on the Fox Sparrow, I rejoined my wife on the straight and narrow path.