radrat's Identifications

I just caught one quick look at the sparrow on the cattle water trough as I was hiding behind the oak tree.

Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) is a migratory songbird in the New World Sparrows (Passerellidae) family. It has grayish supercilium, buffy in the malar, and thin streaks on the breast.

Confirmed observation of Lincoln's Sparrow by INat ord1: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247545829

Ebird with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/species/linspa
Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) is "a medium-sized sparrow with crisp patterning. Slightly smaller than Song Sparrow, with finer streaking on breast (like a pen-and-ink drawing vs. an oil painting). Also note thin pale eyering, bright buffy breast that contrasts with white throat and belly, and often peaked crown. Breeds in thickets and shrubby clearings, usually within mixed or coniferous forests. Can be found in any brushy or weedy habitat in migration and winter. Beware of juvenile Song Sparrows in late summer, which can look buffy and show finer streaks than adults."

Ebird with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/species/linspa

Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, pp. 435-436.
In the Monterey Bay Area, "it is an uncommon winter resident and fairly common migrant"

The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada): https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lincolns_Sparrow/

Audubon Guide to North American Birds: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/lincolns-sparrow

Xeno-canto: Bird songs, sound recordings, bird range and migration map: https://xeno-canto.org/species/Melospiza-lincolnii

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017, pp. 506-507.

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Irene's New World Sparrows observations on INaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&taxon_id=559248&user_id=aparrot1&verifiable=any

New World Sparrows (Passerellidae family) are mostly "Seed-eating birds with thick, conical bills for cracking open seeds. They are usually brown or gray in color. Many Passerellidae have distinctive head patterns. Although they share the name Sparrow, New World Sparrows are more closely related to Old World Buntings than they are to the Old World Sparrows (family Passeridae). New World Sparrows are also similar in both appearance and habit to Finches, with which they were formerly classified. The International Ornithological Congress (IOC) recognizes 140 species in the family, distributed among 30 genera." https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/559248-Passerellidae

Merlin Bird ID: How to use/get the portable App (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

Found Feathers Resources (comprehensive list with links by INat featherenthusiast): https://foundfeathers.org/resources/
Found Feathers: INaturalist Project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/found-feathers
Found Feathers (worldwide) I.D. Tool: https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php
Irene's Feather observations on INaturalist, worldwide: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?project_id=125924&ttl=900&v=1725598515000&place_id=any&verifiable=any&subview=grid&user_id=3188668

Irene's Ebird Profile: https://ebird.org/profile/MTIwNjIzMg and my worldwide checklists: https://ebird.org/mychecklists

Irene's (aparrot1) Profile Page on INaturalist listing Nature Resources (includes list of online references with links) for Plants, Birds, Fungi, Lepidoptera, Arachnids, Reptiles, Amphibians, Marine Life, Plant Galls, and more: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/3188668