IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

Rare Bird Report #: 27-B-07

SPECIES: Swamp Sparrow

HOW MANY: 1

REPORTER: Cliff Weisse
4125 Beaver Springs Rd.
Island Park, ID 83429
208-558-7789

REPORTER EMAIL: cliffandlisa@octobersetters.com

OTHER OBSERVERS: Darren Clark, clarkd@byui.edu
Mike Haldeman
Jay Carlisle

DATE REPORT PREPARED: 3/11/2007

DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: 1/27/2007

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: Hagerman State Fish Hatchery, along a canal northwest of the hatchery buildings.

HABITAT: Cottonwood forest/riparian

CONDITIONS: Duration of observation about one minute. Distance was about 25-30 yards with unobstructed view. I don't recall the position of the sun of if it was even sunny as there was intermittent fog that morning that was in the process of burnning off. Regardless this location was forested so the sun would have been filtered at any rate. I used 10 x 42 Nikon Premier binoculars. I was with Darren Clark at the time of the observation. Other observers found the bird in the same general location later the same morning. This report is being submitted at this time because I just realized that Swamp Sparrow was a review species.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?: No, not at all

DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?: No, not at all

WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?:

DESCRIPTION: Small gray and rusty sparrow about the same size and shape as the Song Sparrow it was perched close to. Overall color was alos similar to the Song Sparrow. Face was plain gray with black postocular stripe. Flanks were unstreaked and had heavy rufous wash. Tail rusty brown. Nape clean gray with no visible stripes or streaks. Lateral throat stripe was thin and indistinct, not wide and distinct like Song or Lincoln's Sparrows.

BEHAVIOR: I heard this bird call and didn't recognize it so I pished and it hopped up on the trunk of a fallen Cottonwood, facing away from us, along with a Song Sparrow that was also facing away from us. The two birds were perched about five feet apart. It acted agitated but remained facing away from us for the duration of the observation.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU? When the birds appeared I had my binoculars on the Song Sparrow and Darren called out "Swamp Sparrow". I then switched to the second bird and first noticed the facial pattern, then checked the nape which, for me, confirmed the ID. I then saw the rusty flanks and waited for the bird to turn its head enough to see the lateral throat stripe.

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY? Song Sparrow is the obvious species to eliminate. That is accomplished by the lack of streaking on the nape and flanks, rusty wash on flanks, and lack of thick distinct lateral throat stripe. Lincoln's has distinctly streaked flanks, streaked nape, and a wide lateral throat stripe. Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow has wing bars, a brown tail instead of rusty, and is obviously larger and bulkier than Song Sparrow.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): I see several Swamp Sparrows most years, numerous Lincoln's, hundreds of Song, and thousands of White-crowned Sparrows annually.

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: 15 years, about 11 serious/avid.

WERE PHOTO(S), VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?: