Beware, this is very detailed and quite long.
Now why I think the sparrow I photographed in Salida might be a Baird's.
Well it's certainly not the location where it was--on a utility wire. All
the references I read said they were difficult to see as they spend most of
their time in the grasses where they prefer to run than fly from
disturbance. Pete Dunne, *Essential Field Guide Companion *by Pete Dunne
states, "In spring and summer, male Baird's perches on an elevated platform-
a bush, old grass, a sturdy plant. . ." to sing. The caveat is that this
platform "is often below grass top level" and Dunne goes on to add that they
rarely perch "on wires or posts." Also the time of year is late as
Baird's should be on their breeding grounds now, though it is not uncommon
to find late birds.
The sparrow I photographed has a buff ground color of it's plumage, a
characteristic noted by Beadle and Rising in *Sparrows of the United States
and Canada *in their description of their photo 32.2 of a adult Baird's
Sparrow (and *Sibley Guide to Birds* notes a "buffy to ochre ground color"
and *Birds of North America *online describes a "yellow-ochre color
prominent on head"). Baird and Rising say the supercilium is "buff or ochre
and indistinct". The supercilium on the bird I photographed is buff and
fairly indistinct. They describe the ear coverts also as buff or ochre.
The angle of view of the bird I photographed makes it a little difficult to
visualize the ear coverts but what is visible is buff colored.
Beadle and Rising further note that the ear coverts are "edged posteriorly
with dark brown and a thin brown mustachial stripe." On the bird I
photographed there is a dark brown marking to the posterior of the ear
covert--is it too much like a thicker end to an eye line than what Beadle
and Rising refer to as a "post-ocular wedge"?? BNA states, "ear-coverts
with dark border along upper and lower edge." The *Sibley Guide to
Birds*states, "eye-line and 'mustache' stripe broken, strongest to
rear." The
bird I photographed would meet that criteria and indeed looks like the
drawing of an adult Baird's in that book. And *Birds of North America *(BNA)
online states, " dark blotches at rear of auriculars (result of dark eyeline
and moustachial-streak being faint or absent behind and below eye) which is
consistent with the bird I photographed. Conclusion here???
Beadle and Rising go on to add, " malar stripe is thin and dark brown". The
malar area it is not well visualized in my photo but looks like there is a
dark brown on malar area (looks again like the photo in Sibley's book). The
throat and underparts are not visible in my photo so those cannot be
accessed.
Beadle and Rising describe the back area: "nape ochre or buffy, thinly
streaked with small dark brown spots." I can see thin brown streaks on the
nape in my photo. I cannot make out spots but I can't when I look at the
photos in their book either. They go on to state, "mantle and back dark
brown with feathers distinctly edged in pale buff." The mantle and back
feathers visible in my photo show dark brown feathers that are edged in a
light buff color. They describe the wings as "brown with coverts and
scapulars boldly edged with ochre, often rusty color." What parts of the
wings that can be seen clearly on my photo show some feathers edged in an
ochre/orangeish color but not clear on coverts and scapulars?? They
describe the tail as "dark brown with pale edges, outermost rectrix pale,
especially at the tip." Brown tail feathers are visible in my photo with
at least the central tail feather shows pale edging and a glimpse of a pale
outermost rectrix (on the far left side of tail). Beadle and Rising note a
short tail while Sibley notes a "longer and squarer tail than other *
Ammodramus* sparrows"--I find the absolute tail length difficult to tell at
the angle of the bird in my photo and I don't know it's dimensions relative
to the other sparrows in this family. BNA notes that Baird's have "slightly
notched" tails (and agrees with Sibley on longer than other
*Ammoddramus *sparrows)
and the bird in my photo has a notched tail though difficult for me to tell
the depth of notching from the angle of view.
Beadle and Rising describe the legs and feet as "pale flesh." This one
gives me fits. The legs in my photo look a little pinkish, but so do the
legs of several Baird's in photos in their book. Is this an photographic
artifact or does the bird in my photo have pink not flesh colored legs???
Unfortunately, that bird flew straight down into the grass just as soon as
it realized I was photographing it (the problem with digital cameras, they
have a mechanical noise when the shutter is released) so I only saw the bird
briefly and from the same angle as in the photographs.
Underparts in my photo are not visible. The bill is large (noted in Sibley)
but coloration not discernable.
When the bird flew down into the grass in the field, I noted that the grass
was tall and there looked like a lot of wheatgrass mixed in. It is noted to
nest in both native and non-native wheatgrass in different locations. I am
not suggesting nesting, just that it's specific location was consistent with
habitat it chooses during breeding season ("wintering ecology is not well
known").
More later.
SeEtta Moss
Canon City
http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
Colorado County Birding: http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/
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
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
