a couple that have me stumped

[nkwali]

These were taken in Banff this past week.
Thank you in advance for your help.

I believe some sort of thrush - there were two of them

thrush2 by Nkwali, on Flickr

thrush1 by Nkwali, on Flickr


Sparrow - savannah or vesper or something else?

sparrow2 by Nkwali, on Flickr

sparrow1 by Nkwali, on Flickr

[Pat Hodgson]

First bird is American pipit.
Second, well, I think it is a juvenile sparrow and they can be very tough.  But I'm leaning towards juv. white-crowned sparrow, but that is partly based on location.

[thouc]

1. I second American Pipit.
2. I think the grey bill doesn't fit juv. White-crowned. I lean towards juvenile Chipping Sparrow.

/Thomas

[Pat Hodgson]

I had it in my head that young chipping sparrow had pale gray on back of neck like a clay-coloured, but on review in Rising/Beadle sparrow book I see that the juvenile bird is streaked on neck as in this photo.

[nkwali]

Thank you both - I hadn't considered the sparrow to be a juvenile. A whole new world of identification challenges.