Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Bird of the Day: Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow

This morning, a nemesis I have been chasing for years finally fell: Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Ammodramus nelsoni. This sparrow only passes through NY during a narrow window of migration, found only in certain wet weedy fields, where it clings tightly to cover and rarely allows good looks. I've seen its sister species, Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Ammodramus caudacutus, in coastal marshes of NJ and LI, but I've always missed Nelson's at all the staked-out spots for it during migration. I'm very glad to have finally gotten a look at this pretty sparrow.

Is it?

Maybe...


Yes!!!
Posted by slybird at 4:42 PM
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 16, 2007 at 8:17 PM

    Amazing bird! WOW That would be a lifer for me also!

    ReplyDelete
  2. slybirdOctober 16, 2007 at 10:01 PM

    Well swing by the Basin. Or contact Jim Pawlicki, he's good at finding them up in Amherst. :) You don't have much time left though.

    ReplyDelete

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