1 October 2013. Cayuga ON. Fog hung low over the bird observatory this morning. We always record the current conditions In our observatory records, these include cloud cover, wind, and visibility. As long as you can clearly see for a kilometer or so, visibility is noted as ‘Excellent’ and, tempting as it may sometimes be to enter it as ‘Indifferent’ or ‘Bleak’, the record is supposed to show atmospheric conditions and not the consequent ability or failure of observers to find birds. Today’s fog prompted the unimaginative yet appropriate adjective ‘Limited’.
As if to reinforce the point that the quality of visibility doesn’t necessarily equate to birding success it was quite a busy day. I completed the daily census and quite surprised myself with a tally of 29 species including some 500 or so European Starlings swirling in one of those great big rolling flocks, a gathering which the Victorians colourfully dubbed ‘a murmuration’; two long V-flocks of Canada Geese following the course of the river; and a small group of Killdeers also tracing the river’s path – perhaps a reliable navigation cue in the absence of better sight-lines.
There were several warblers around, apart from the Magnolia, Blackpoll and Nashville Warblers banded in the lab, I encountered a couple of Yellow-rumped and Western Palm Warblers making their way through the dense grape tangles and dogwoods.
This little sparrow popped up to see what I was up to and I was somewhat puzzled by it. What challenged me was the clear breast with something of a central spot, a field mark that usually suggests American Tree Sparrow, but nothing else about it was right. Its back and wings showed quite a bright rusty brown, the facial pattern and light line over the eye suggested a tan morph White-throated Sparrow, yet other critical White-throat details were absent. Understand that on these census walks, one tends as a first response to focus on the expected, and with sparrows it’s an easy but treacherous prop; the unexpected happens all the time. I was half expecting White-throated Sparrows and Song Sparrows, I’d already seen plenty of both along the way. I should have paid more attention to the rusty-red wings.
Seizing my camera and praying the bird wouldn’t fly away, as most do once I get them in focus, I was able to get several decent shots, enough to ensure a good post-walk identification. A group discussion led us to Swamp Sparrow and darn it, I should have known that, they’re one of my favourite summer songsters.
Here’s a series of shots of this Bird of the Day Swamp Sparrow, the rich brown of the back and wings is clear in one of this series. Apart from the exercise in bird i.d. the photos are nicely evocative of the damp and foggy conditions on this otherwise warm and gentle fall day.
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