Hey all, Thought I would chime in briefly about the Fox Sparrow. I agree that it is darker than the majority of the birds we get passing through the area. I don't think it is out of the range of variation for Red, although it could perhaps be indicative of a more western-breeding populations (zaboria). Either way, good observation by Dave and Gary, certainly worth studying out-of-season individuals even more carefully than we would normally do. Here are a few semi-obscured photos of the bird in question: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S27121735
In a similar vein, Livia and I found what I believe to be an immature Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow with two leucophrys immatures in a tree sparrow flock along Park Road in Canoga, Seneca County, yesterday. Photos here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S27204380 This is a rare but regular and undoubtedly overlooked vagrant in the east, something to keep an eye out for. Good birding, Jay On Mon, Jan 25, 2016 at 7:58 AM, Gary Kohlenberg <jg...@cornell.edu> wrote: > I'm glad Dave worked so hard to get this bird and make such detailed > notes, because I really struggled to call this one for eBird. Every Fox > Sparrow I've seen in the basin over the years has been an obvious Red > (Taiga) subspecies. Always so red that coloration is the first thing to > catch my eye in the underbrush, only then do I notice the size difference. > This bird was distinctly brown and rechecking Sibley he speaks of "a > confusing array of intergrades" so it certainly seems possible our visitor > is a little more than our typical migrant. There may be a dedicated sparrow > guide out there with photos of variations in Fox Sparrow that would be fun > to see, but I don't know of one. If anyone hasn't seen this bird it is > worth a look if for no other reason than to contrast with future sightings. > Gary > > -----Original Message----- > From: bounce-120080486-3493...@list.cornell.edu [mailto: > bounce-120080486-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Dave Nutter > Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2016 8:37 PM > To: CAYUGABIRDS-L <cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu> > Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Fox Sparrow musings - possible intergrade at > Liddell? > > To me, Fox Sparrows are a special challenge, even though they are big, > boldly colored, and easy to ID for a sparrow. We typically only see them > here during migration because they breed in the boreal forest across Canada > and they winter in the southeastern US. That narrows the time frame to see > them. Their prefered habitat is brushy woods where they hide pretty well, > and I don’t get to those places enough during that window. The folks who > have the best luck live next to such habitat and set up a bird feeder which > spills seed on the ground. There a Fox Sparrow will scratch as it eats, > sometimes becoming hidden in a small crater. I haven’t tried such a feeding > station in my yard, as it would be awkward to watch from the house. Perhaps > I should, because once I did see a Fox Sparrow in my yard. That was after a > heavy April snowfall. The bird was resting in my weed-filled vineyard, but > it was probably present because of my next-door neighbor’s feeding station, > which is annoyingly difficult for me to monitor. > > This year the opportunity to see a Fox Sparrow was greatly expanded when > Tom Schulenberg found one on New Year’s Day as part of the Christmas Bird > Count. It was near Freese Road in brushy habitat by the pond at the Liddell > Lab. Over the next few days several other people saw it, but I failed. That > lab has many beehives around it, but it also has a bird feeder next ot > brushy, damp habitat contiguous to woods. I have seen a Fox Sparrow at that > feeding station - in the usual season - several times over the years. > During the holiday break the feeder was empty, but afterward it was > maintained again, and people started finding Tom’s Fox Sparrow below the > feeder and in the immediately adjacent brush. This would make it much > easier to see, I thought. I tried again and failed. Then the long holiday > weekend came, the feeder was empty, and so was the adjacent brush. I went > back on the following Tuesday but the conditions remained the same: no > food, no birds. Perhaps the guy who works there and fills the feeder took > the whole week off! I went back early on Saturday and found the feeders and > bushes empty again. But this time I came equipped with a gallon jar full of > black oil sunflower seeds. I filled the dang feeder myself, kicked enough > snow off the ground that I’d be able to see the area from a distance, > poured some extra seed on the ground, and left for the rest of the morning > to let the local birds consider the situation. > > During the interval I went to the Lab of O feeder garden and had wonderful > views of another bird we typically only see in migration, a Rusty > Blackbird, among numerous other birds. That’s a multi-trophic-level bird > feeder, with an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk who had eaten a male Northern > Cardinal the day before, the same day the Rusty Blackbird was discovered, > but the Sharp-shin was not successful (yet) when I saw it. I think it made > at least 3 passes while I was present. There was also an adult Cooper’s > Hawk perched over the Wilson Trail North. It not only tolerated the members > of the Saturday morning bird walk viewing it through my scope, it stayed > put while we walked below it and than scoped it from the other side as > well. Perhaps it is a year-round resident of Sapsucker Woods, and > recognizes that the people on the trails harmless, so it’s a waste of a > bird's time and energy to keep fleeing the people. There’s a Red-tailed > Hawk like that at the Lab also, which tends to sit on lampposts around the > parking lot. But I digress. > > I returned to Liddell and had great looks at the Fox Sparrow. I understand > that several other people saw it as well that afternoon and today too. I > now recommend that a large mouse-proof container of birdseed be added to > every birder’s car kit, along with the field guide and binoculars. Some > folks have tried setting up feeders in places like Summerhill State Forest. > I first heard about Nelson’s Sparrow (then called Sharp-tailed Sparrow) at > Treman State Marine Park when Jeff Wells saw one by putting out seed. I > know that back in the day Arthur Allen kept feeders in Renwick Wildwood. As > I drive around I see many empty bird feeders at people’s houses and I am > tempted to fill them. Or it might be a nice gesture to donate birdseed to > the people who maintain especially productive feeders. > > But about this out-of-season Fox Sparrow at the Liddell Lab. I noticed in > Gary Kohlenberg’s eBird report that it was not as red as he expected. I, > too, found that to be the case. Sibley shows the Red Fox Sparrow, which > inhabits eastern North America as well as Canada and Alaska north and east > of the Rockies, to have all bright rusty red streaks and spots below, > including the malar stripes and the big central breast spot. Not so on this > bird, whose central spot is dark brown and whose other spots and streaks > form an interesting gradation from small dark brown spots low on the sides, > to more chestnut brown farther up the sides to slightly redder brown on the > upper sides. None of the underside streaking is the bright rufous which > Sibley shows for the Red type, but nor is it all dark brown as Sibley shows > for the “Slate-colored” type from the interior west. On the other hand the > pattern above seems to have characteristics of the Red type. It has the > rufous pattern on the gray cheek and the streaked central back, both of > which western birds lack. But the gray of the upper back came down and > covered the bird’s shoulder/wrist like western types, although the greater > coverts and wing were rufous. Maybe the bird’s back was just fluffed up, > and maybe the color below is normal variation, and maybe Sibley > over-generalized or overstated the red on the Red Fox Sparrow, but maybe > this is a Red x Slate-colored intergrade. I hope other folks who know more > about this stuff will take a close look at the bird and offer an opinion. > > —Dave Nutter > > > > > > -- > > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > > > -- > > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > -- Jay McGowan Macaulay Library Cornell Lab of Ornithology jw...@cornell.edu -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
