[va-bird] Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Chincoteague, 19th October

Dear All

 

Just a quick note to add more following up on the Nelson's Sharp-tailed
Sparrow I saw at Chincoteague on 19th October.  Having studied the
photos of the bird that I took at the time and reviewed the published
literature I thought it would be worth noting that the bird was of one
of the interior subspecies (nelsoni or alterus) rather than the Acadian
subspecies (subvirgatus).  The bird was brightly marked with clear
braces or tram lines on the mantle (like a Pechora Pipit) and an
unstreaked breast strongly washed warm orange with little or no visible
contrast between the malar and the throat.  As far as I can make out
from the literature the suspicion is that the James Bay subspecies
alterus is expected to be wintering on the Atlantic shore with Nelsoni
on the Gulf and west coast.  But the literature seems a bit vague as to
which subspecies winter where so I thought it would be worth posting
this additional note just to be sure.   I would be interested in any
comments from those who see these birds regularly in Virginia to see if
this tallies with the normal pattern of occurrence.

 

If anyone wants to see my really bad photos of this bird then do let me
know as I would be happy to share.

 

Cheers

 

Gary Allport

 

email: GAllport@xxxxxxxxxxx

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