ML190518451
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
- Sounds
- Call
- Playback
- Playback not used
Observation details
Continuing here since at least November 11, when it was originally spotted by Bill Reaume. It has been seen by many since then, but my own luck with it had not been too hot. This was my third attempt to find the bird. It was nearly the the worst dip of the lot. When I arrived, I learned I'd missed the towhee by something like 5 minutes. Loads of people had seen it in the morning/early afternoon. With several other birders present, I sat staring at a basically bird-free clump of grass-covered multiflora/etc. (roughly 40.135, -75.078) for the better part of the following 3 hours. This clump is where the bird had reportedly flown into, and nobody had seen it fly out. Birder numbers dwindled as the afternoon wore on, and eventually I was the only one left. Not too long after official sunset, I finally declared this seemingly failed effort to be dip #3 and walked away, heading back toward the visitor center. That's when sparrow activity level increased from "none" to "some". Hopes rose slightly. I figured I'd turn around, go back and check the spot again because, why not? I started hearing the bird's mewing calls a few minutes later (~4:48pm - between sunset and civil twilight), and, sure enough, found it shuffling around inside the same formerly lifeless brushy patch that everyone had just spent hours staking out. Gray-bodied/green-winged sparrow with white throat and rusty cap. Close range look, but low light conditions. It flew out of the clump, landed on another grass-covered bush for about 2 seconds, then went back into cover again. A poor recording of some of the calls is attached. The bird was not terribly vocal and quieted down pretty quickly.
Technical information
- Recorder
- Nikon D500
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 4.77 MB