[mou] Sharp-Tailed Sparrow-Henn. Cty

[jb at bolioshot.com]

I've relocated the bird James Pomplun originally sighted Thursday the 18th near the lookout dock at the Old Cedar Ave Bridge. I've seen it twice, once today & once last Sunday the 21st. Both sightings occured right at sunup, about 6:45-7:00am. Each time the bird popped out of the sparse vegetation near the West side of the lookout dock & was visible 10-15 seconds. I unfortunately didn't get very good looks at it's crown. I can only say that it's facial features & side streaks are a rich ochre color that is very much like the pictures I see of Sharp-Tailed Sparrows, and also it's back which is dark with white streaks. I don't have any experience with Sharp-Tailed or LeContes Sparrows, so leaning towards it being a Sharp-Tailed is just a guess, but it is definitely one of these 2 species.

Jason Bolish
Bloomington - Hennepin County

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.



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