Co Birders, I noticed that the reported Sprague's Pipit from CFO made the rare-bird list. It was my trip that found the beastie in question and I am still kicking myself for not trying to get a photo of the bird. At least 4 of us got really good looks, but as I have ZERO experience with this species, and it seems extremely unlikely this far south and west at this time of year, I would be negligent if I said it was undeniably a SPPI. The legs were pinkish, the back was streaked, the breast had a faint "necklace" of streaks as described by Sibley, there were faint whitish wingbars, and the eye was big and dark in the middle of a pale buffy face. We looked at Nat Geo, Sibley's and Ted Floyd's Smithsonian Guide and I really can't think of anything else it could be but I'm not willing to stake my life on it. I just wish I had a bit more of the photographer's bug in me so I would have something worth reviewing by other more qualified birders. Soooo.... My advice to birders is to bring a camera birding with you and actually use it if an ID is in question.
Good birding, Chip Clouse Outreach Coordinator Birders' Exchange Coordinator American Birding Association 4945 N 30th Street, Suite 200 Colorado Springs, CO 80919-3151 _________________________________________________ Phone: (719) 884-8240 Toll-free: (800) 850-2473 x240 Fax: (719) 578-1480 _________________________________________________ Email: [email protected] Website: www.aba.org <http://www.aba.org> Please support the American Birding Association: Click on http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=884482 <http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=884482> to search the internet. Every search provides support to the ABA's programs in Education, Conservation, and Publications. P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Join us at the 2009 Convention in Alamosa: http://cfo-link.org/convention/index.php You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.as/group/cobirds?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
