ML616219828
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Adult Male - 1
- Sounds
- Song
- Playback
- Playback not used
Observation details
Lifer! Continuing bird found yesterday by Ellen Plane and Alison Su. It finally started singing again at 12:18 from either the ground or a low hidden perch near a bush others identified as a scotch broom at 37.8905069,-122.3183314. I stayed for about a half hour after the singing started, but it didn't pop up for me in that time, though it apparently did about 10 minutes after I left. This was after it had been hiding for over three hours with lots of birders in the area. I think it was doing what's sometimes referred to as a whisper song, meaning it was just practicing its repertoire without necessarily trying to advertise broadly. The song itself is beautifully varied and can seemingly be anywhere from 2 to 10 seconds long. The key feature to listen for in my mind is a very rapid wobble that gradually changes pitch, sometimes sliding down slightly and other times turning up near the end as in my recording. This wobble usually comes right after a clear, higher-pitched whistle. It's pretty distinctive when you hear it. John Cassin, America's first modern taxonomist, seems to have been a pretty decent guy by all accounts I can find. His dedication to rigorous study and research, not just field work, was uncommon if not unprecedented in American ornithology. As a result, he ended up describing almost 200 different species of birds previously unknown to western science. He devoted his life to this work despite it being a passion that didn't help much in the way of supporting his family, and he's often quoted saying how great it would be if he didn't have to eat. He was an active community member founding the now 190-year-old Delaware County Institute of Science and serving many unpaid hours as a curator at the Academy of Natural Sciences. It is also said he served in the Union Army during the Civil War, which would have been when he was in his late 40s and early 50s - not far at all from the 60 years of average life expectancy at the time. It may surprise some to learn he is quoted as having a pretty poor opinion of John James Audubon, who was 28 years older than him, saying he "is no naturalist". Ultimately, it is believed he died as a direct result of his handling of so many bird skins, having been poisoned by the arsenic used to preserve them. With this secretive sparrow, I have now observed all five of the North American bird species named, for now, after him, which is why I decided to learn more about him. All that being said, Kenn Kaufman rightly points out Cassin is no more deserving of the honor of having birds named after him than many other accomplished ornithologists. In any case, all five of these birds (the sparrow, finch, vireo, kingbird, and auklet) will eventually receive new names, which doesn't bother me in the slightest. Apparently, it also doesn't bother John Cassin's descendants, as the only one to have said anything about the renaming effort publicly voiced their support. That said, sparrows like this seem among those that could be most difficult to rename. My guess is it will end up with a name that mentions its range or behavior rather than some obscure field mark.
Additional species
Technical information
- Recorder
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 930.28 KB