Jeffrey A. Gordon

We had a terrifically successful sparrow trip yesterday, tallying 14 species of Emberizids (the family that includes New World sparrows, as well as things like towhees, longspurs, juncoes & some of the buntings).

photo by Jim White

We began at Indian River Inlet, where the marsh was very, very good to us. We enjoyed soul-satisfying studies of both species of sharp-tailed sparrows, including the handsome Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow below.

 

photo by Sharon Lynn

Notice his long bill, flattish head, strong streaking across the center of the breast, and rather ill-defined white belly. Now, compare the Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow below.

photo by Maurice V. Barnhill III

The bill is shorter, crown rounder, streaks fainter (especially in mid-breast), and the white belly is sharply demarcated.

photo by Jim White

We covered 4 main sites including the Fort Miles area of Cape Henlopen, above. The trespassing here was less egregious than it looks (I hope!). The road is open as a foot path in the other direction, so I interpret the gate and sign to mean “no driving down this road.” I hope that’s not too creative–I try not to flout the rules, especially with groups.

That gated road (or the designated footpath, depending which way you’re heading) leads to the top of a bunker that provides the finest panorama in southern Delaware, with vistas stretching over the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay. Come to think of it, it’s pretty much the only panorama in southern Delaware.

photo by Jim White

At the other end of the state, the fields around the entrance to Brandywine Creek State Park have been especially sparrow-rich this fall. We enjoyed a half dozen species like the White-crowned above, while waiting for the star of the show: the Harris’s Sparrow that has been present since the second week of October. Below, our group (plus an unidentified free agent at front right) scans the undergrowth.

We didn’t have to wait too long for Mr. Harris.

photo by Jim White

He cooperated splendidly, coming well out into the open. My buddy Jim White was able to get some pretty nice shots of him, despite the sun being almost directly against us. Below, Jim (facing away) and Steve Collins are framed by the rich fall colors at Brandywine Creek.

It was certainly our most successful sparrow trip in the 10 years I’ve been running them–I think Steve’s smile is emblematic of the whole day.

Here’s a quick recap of the order of the day and the sparrows we saw (each species is mentioned only once, where we first saw it–for example the White-crowneds are listed under Prime Hook, though we also saw them at Brandywine Creek). Species seen in only one place are marked with an asterisk:

Indian River Inlet

1. Savannah Sparrow

2. Song Sparrow

3. Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow*

4. Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow*

5. Seaside Sparrow*

 

Cape Henlopen State Park

6. Dark-eyed Junco*

7. Field Sparrow

8. White-throated Sparrow

 

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge

9. Swamp Sparrow

10. White-crowned Sparrow

11. Eastern Towhee*

 

Brandywine Creek State Park

12. Harris’s Sparrow*

13. Chipping Sparrow*

14. Lincoln’s Sparrow*

 

The Lincoln’s Sparrow was found by Steve at the very last moment. And yes, we did see House Sparrows, but no, they don’t count, as they’re not sparrows in the taxonomic sense used here.

We also had some nice non-sparrows, too, including Great Cormorant, Merlin, Rusty Blackbird, and all 3 eastern nuthatch species.

Thanks to all who turned out! I had a great day birding with you.

Tags: brandywinecreek, capehenlopen, DOS, fieldtrips, jimwhite, mikecollins, MVBIII, primehook, sharonlynn, sparrows

Comments RSS