---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Adam Pinch <adam_pinch@hotmail.com> Date: Thu, Jan 2, 2025, 6:08 p.m. Subject: Clay-colored Sparrow report To: Dean Ware <deanware1@gmail.com> Okay Dean, see below and the attached sketch. Let me know what you think. If it is good, send it in. Adam -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clay-colored Sparrow report for 2024 Cedar Creek Christmas Bird Count by Adam Pinch Date: Saturday, December 14th, 2024 Time: around 10:00 am Location: Weedy field at Jack Miner's bird sanctuary north of main area Observers: Dean Ware, Joe, Adam Pinch Identification not in doubt. However, as it is an unusual species for the CBC (and for time of year in general), documentation perhaps warranted. Also Dean told the count leader that I would document it, so here goes... ATSP=American Tree Sparrow CHSP=Chipping Sparrow CCSP=Clay-colored Sparrow BRSP=Brewer's Sparrow Shape and size: Smallish and somewhat slender with round head and medium-length tail and smallish bill typical of Spizella genus. Smaller and less fluffy-looking than ATSP, roughly size of CHSP both of which were also present. (athough about 100 ATSP for every 1 CHSP) I have included a sketch of the bird. I did not make this sketch in the field and do not offer it as direct "evidence" for the bird, but merely to highlight the major features observed in the field. referencing some of the points illustrated in the sketch by number; 1. Bold median crown stripe. I personally did not have an angle suitable to observe this, but Dean and Joe both did. CHSP and BRSP can both have somewhat of a medium crown stripe (or at least partial), however the boldness would favour CCSP over either of those species, especially over BRSP. 2. Fairly prominent beige/buffy colour of supercillium. (CHSP can be similar, but BRSP tends to have low-contrast face in all plumages) 3: Face pattern as follows: Dark eye-line (postocular stripe in this case) does not extend in front of the eyes. In other words, pale lores. This is an important distinction from CHSP. Also the eyeline did not dominate the face as it tends to in CHSP. This is because the mustacial stripe and the lateral throat stripe where of similar prominence on the face as the postocular stripe resulting in a bolder and more complex face pattern overall than seen on the somewhat similar species. Mind you, in this plumage, the face pattern was less bold than in breeding plumage. 4: Completely unstreaked and somewhat warm buffy underparts. 5: Nice unstreaked and clean pale grey nape (hard to illustrate in pencil) contrasting nicely with face pattern and back, etc... Tends to stand out slightly better than on winter CHSP, but mainly a distinction from BRSP, which tends towards a more streaked nape except for, perhaps, the Timberline sparrow. Other feature distinguish from that. Other features illustrated but not numbered in the sketch include wing bars and streaked upperparts. Not particularly important. Just mentioned for completeness. Bill and legs pale in colour. Somewhere in the flesh/pink spectrum. Not observed:Rump colour. Should be brownish in CCSP and grey in CHSP, but none of us were able to observe the rump colour unfortunately. One other thing I would mention is that only the duller CCSP would be confused with BRSP. Although this individual was not in the bolder breeding plumage, it was still, nevertheless, not a particularly dull bird for the plumage. I only mention the extremely unlikely (to occur here) BRSP for completeness. As I said, the identity was not really in doubt. Dean referred to it as a "slam-dunk". Although I found this assessment to be fairly accurate, "slam dunk" is, of course, NOT a description! Hence this report. British columbia, Quebec, and Newfoundland have all had CCSP reports on ebird this December for what that's worth. I guess that's about it. Adam Pinch