Golden-crowned Sparrow

On 16 September 2020, I banded a young Golden-crowned Sparrow, one of the few fall migrants I have caught this year in our backyard.  This sparrow is an abundant west coast bird. They breed from Alaska across much of British Columbia. Norment et al. (2020) relate that Western gold miners called this bird “Weary Willie” due to its song, “I’m so tired!”  These authors also relate that “Others called it the "No Gold Here" bird, and disliked it because it repeatedly sang this unpleasant, but often correct, phrase.”