[Birdnet] Fwd: Baird's Sparrow

[Utah Birds]

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 Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by Sid Westerman and Nathan Fisher on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 01:14:43
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 Subject: Baird's Sparrow
 
 Email_Address: speednat at bajabb.com
 
 Message: March 19, 2009 
 
 On the morning of March 17, 2009, Nathan Fisher and I, Sid Westerman (I've been birding since my teenage years; I'm now 62 years old) were at Lytle Ranch in Washington County, Utah. While birding at the pond north of the orchards on the ranch we spotted a small (about 5.5 inch sparrow) alone on the ground next to a small stream of water being drained from the pond. It was next to a small bush on the nearly barren flood plain and was very quiet and secretive, making no call or song at all. I had overlooked it as I passed by yet Nathan came and called my attention to it. We watched it for about 5 or 10 minutes, getting a very good look at the head, upper back, and breast of the bird. It had a definite ochre-colored crown down the middle, with not too distinct head markings and, noticeably, a light nearly white breast with a narrow band of fine dark streaks across the breast. This sparrow matches precisely the photo 32.3 of Beadle and Rising's Sparrows of
 the United States and Canada: The Photographic Guide, page 147. Though I did not get a very clear picture of the tail it was short, and the fairly large flat head was diagnostic. After viewing this bird for some time I picked up my field guide (the new 2008 Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America) and then looked back to find the bird gone. Though it had not flown away I could not find it thereafter. I also referred to Kenn Kaufmann's Lives of North American Birds and Sibley's Guide to Birds, and I compared what I saw with Peterson's and Sibley's guides--to see if it could be a Savannah, Vesper, Grasshopper or other similar species--and was convinced it was none of these. All these habits, field marks, and field guide descriptions compared confirmed to me that this was indeed a Baird's Sparrow migrating to its summer range, though their migration does not generally occur until April. Parenthetically, I have seen Baird's Sparrows before (Dec. 19,
 2002) in their winter grounds in southeastern Arizona near the Mexican border. 
 
 Sid Westerman 
 
 I have been birding for about a year. I agree with the information stated by Sid, and also feel confident in his assessment. 
 
 
 Nathan Fisher
 


      
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