LeConte's Sparrow - Ammodramus leconteii (16Nov2014)

Is there a better North American Sparrow than LeConte's Sparrow? If there is, I don't know it.  I am not sure how to explain the LeConte's Sparrow's superiority other than to say it just looks good.  This particular bird was found at North River Farms in Carteret County, NC and was especially obliging.  This is a species that usually does not show itself well, preferring to run along the ground under heavy grasses.  So although these shots were with my old camera set up and under less than ideal lighting conditions, I am just not sure I will have better opportunities in the future.

Look at that purplish nape!

I looked up who LeConte was and why he got so many good birds named after him, and it looks as though Audubon was just being nice and naming this particular sparrow after a buddy who was really an entomologist.