Bird Identification: What is it?, 1 by Curmudgeonvt

Curmudgeonvt wrote:
Central Vermont: I thought I'd ID'd an Eastern Phoebe - nearly everything jibed with the National Geo bird guide but then I noticed that the beak was not black but yellow/orange. So, what do I see? Sorry for the quality of the pic - the bird is about the size of a field sparrow - maybe a little smaller. All black/dark gray except: wings appear to be dark gray with black bars running across the wings and a white underbelly - as if a black bird had waded into a pan of white paint. Delineation from dark to white is very defined. Tail markings: black over with an underlayer of white that reveal along the sides and end. Very musical. just showed up at the feeder environs within the past week or 2.

Thanks for helping. I'm a newbie as far as birding goes. Just moved out into the country and am enjoying the new and varied visitors. Had a flock of snow buntings visit for a couple of weeks during Feb - that was special as I'd never seen them. Beautiful birds.

Again, thanks!!
Old Curmudgeon