“For me all the frail, enduring beauty of the world finds its voice in the song of the Whitethroat.”

— Edwin Way Teale

A friend who lives up in Elk Meadows, Rebecca Kindred, let me know she spotted a White-throated sparrow at her house. She lives at about 8,500 feet in elevation, and this species is listed as uncommon for birders to spot in our area.

Rebecca noticed the bird appeared several times, sitting on a branch of brush in the sun only about 10 feet away.

Few birders have reported seein...