This evening at 7 pm I saw a small dark sparrow like bird moving along the willows behind my house. Lighting was poor due to the time and cloud cover, but I noticed a red cap and the bill had a slightly curved culmen, which made me briefly wonder if I was seeing an aberrant colored cowbird. I ran and grabbed my camera and I was able to get several underexposed photos. Upon review, they turned out to be acceptable photos of what I believe is a Varied Bunting. Here is my eBird checklist with photos of the bird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S70727686 . As you can see in the photos, the bird appeared to be mostly slaty blue colored with a lighter blue head and rump. It had a bright red spot on its head/nape and less noticeable red on its belly and back. It was black around its eyes and light gray bill. The bird vocalized as it foraged in the willows and it sounded like a "tick" call. If I'm correct, this is a yard bird, county bird, state bird, country bird and life bird all rolled into one.
Don Marsh
Ridgway, CO
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