I'm not very good at sparrows and I was unprepared for the look I had at a friend's farm N/W of Mansfield, near Alliston. I noted a very buff yellow under the brown/black streaks, including the head. The same under a streaked breastband. Slight eyering, supercilium more whitish than yellow and a short tail. The sparrow was very shy and hid in a dense, shrubby tangle growing over a pile of rocks and old fence rails. This was in the middle of a dry field of fairly high grasses. May have been feeding on thistle-like plants but not very active on a hot, sunny day. Juvenile Grasshopper?
