ML628189708

Observation details

Initially found here: (40.3270542, -74.2346047) First heard a rapid, buzzy flight call, which had me thinking SWSP/LISP. Given the low weedy habitat with plenty of Savannah and Song Sparrows, I was expecting LISP. Pishing brought a small, short-tailed, Melospiza to the tip of a grass stalk with a slightly peaked head. I got on the bird and noted very finely streaked dark brown crown stripes with a clean gray supercilium. Breast and flanks finely streaked with a small, neat shot mark at the top of the clean cream-colored belly. A paler individual, the lighting made it difficult to see the buffy coloration neatly surrounding all the breast and flank streaking. Noting that the bird was listed as rare, I used “tip” call recordings to draw the bird out of a conifer and attempted photos and audio recordings. Only one additional flight call was heard “tzzeeeet” but not recorded. The bird was later found again in the same location and I managed a few sub-par digibinned ID photos.