[mou] Sharp-tailed Sparrow-Henn. Cty

[James Pomplun]

At 8:30 this morning I saw what I take to be a Nelson's Sharp-tailed
Sparrow, a bird I've not seen before, near the look-out dock at Old Cedar
Bridge. The bird was viewed only two brief times about 30 feet away with the
sun a mere 30 degrees to the right. The crown stripe seemed quite dark and
uninterrupted by any lighter stripe. That, and the bird's darker, more rusty
browns around the head, flanks and breast--not as yellowish as some of the
guides seem to have it--would seem to rule out a Le Conte's Sparrow. I
checked back at the pier four times without seeing the bird--the last time,
11:30am, Franklin's Gulls were circling around the dock.