Thanks Mike for this excellent–and relative to the rest of us–authoritative
commentary. There is of course no substitute for having these birds in the
hand, taking measurements and in some cases sampling mtDNA. I think it is
likely we'll never settle on the exact subspecies/population of origin for the
recently sighted out-of-towner Song Sparrows that have appeared in Oregon this
winter. In this case we need a little bigger 'box' to check that represents a
larger group of similar subspecies that occur generally north and east of us.
Sub-headings like "rufina Group" for Song Sparrows and "Sooty" for Fox Sparrows
work well because the average birder can recognize the general characteristics
of the group in the field without having to determine which subspecies
individual birds might belong to.
Dave Irons
Beaverton, OR
________________________________
From: obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf of Mike
Patterson <celata@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2019 2:37 AM
To: 'OBOL'
Subject: [obol] Little Boxes
I jump headlong into the discussion regarding "Eastern" Song Sparrows...
http://www.surfbirds.com/community-blogs/northcoastdiaries/
--
Mike Patterson
Astoria, OR
That question...
http://www.surfbirds.com/community-blogs/northcoastdiaries/?p=3294
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