FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] More on No. VA Sparrows

[KurtCapt87@xxxxxxx]

VA BIRDers,

Yes, we gave it another try today.  Members of the crack No. VA Sparrow Hunt 
cast assembled first at No. Fork Wetlands, Pr. Wm Co (this morning) and then 
Sky Meadows Bridle Trail, Fauquier Co (this afternoon).  The team was 
Jonathan Alderfer, Laura Catterton, Larry Cartwright, John Drummond, Mary 
Alice Koeneke, Glenn Koppel, Paula Sullivan, and myself.  Unfortunately, some 
rare birds that were recently well-reported just did not stick around until 
today.  Highlights during today's search were Grasshopper Sparrow and 
Lincoln's Sparrows and (another) Nashville Warbler.   Once again, special 
thanks to the Boy Scouts of America who kindly granted permission to census 
No. Forks Wetlands.

Here is the bottom line (No. Fork/Sky Meadows):

E. Towhee 0/1
Field Sparrow 3/17
Savannah Sparrow 129/32
Grasshopper Sparrow 1/0 (kudos to Jonathan Alderfer for finding this one)
Fox Sparrow 0/2
Song Sparrow 54/115
Lincoln's Sparrow 1/1
Swamp Sparrow 15/12
White-throated Sparrow 3/76
White-crowned Sparrow 3/4
DE Junco 5/2
party time 4.25/2.75
est. sparrow habitat coverage 80%/35%

Notes:  The two Lincoln's today were somewhat aberrant in plummage.  The 
first sported thick breast streaks on a buffy yellow background.  Otherwise, 
this bird was short-tailed and had gray supercillium and nape with rufous 
tertial edging.  The second bird showed a buffy-orangish-yellow breast with 
diffuse breast streaks.  The breast coloration ended in an abrupt edge on a 
white belly.  The supercillium was gray, the cheek showed no contrasting 
markings with the nape or supercillium, and the throat was buffy colored.  
The nape was gray and the bird was short-bodied - it looked like a Lincoln's 
without the streaks.

Other highlights of the day were:

2 Ring-billed Gulls over No. Fork Wetlands
Red-headed WP at Sky Meadows
2 Loggerhead Shrike at Sky Meadows, opposite sides (east and west extremes) 
of the trail
2 Common Ravens at Sky Meadows
Brown Creeper at Sky Meadows
2 Winter Wren at Sky Meadows
Brown Thrasher at Sky Meadows
Nashville Warbler at No. Fork
Palm Warbler at No. Fork

Kurt Gaskill



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