ML647130243

פרטי השורה

Sparrow with big bill, rufous back, light streaking on flanks, and orange-olive face. Impression was rufous gray with yellow face in flight. I first detected it by its distinct and diagnostic flight note, the descending trill much like a waxwing call. After hearing that, I responded with playback using a couple flight notes and the bird came right in! It not only perched, which is rare in my experience in winter for them but sat up at chomped down at Brushy Broomsedge (Andropogon glomeratus), which is a critically important food source for sparrows in these prairies. Everything eats that stuff. I fired two photos off and my camera immediately died - the cold killing it over the course of the morning. I was expectedly annoyed and hoped the two photos were worth anything. When I got to the car, I was relieved when a new battery brought two clear photos of this elusive species. It was also important to finally photograph one of these devils away from the coast as they are recognized as a State Conservation species in Alabama and at the highest level (S1). Showing these birds can and do winter in other areas of the state is critical for conservation of this understudied and realtively unknown bird. I can confidently say they assuredly winter in small numbers in specifically rich prairie with either scrubby stands or taller forbs among a dominant mix of native grasses such as Andropogons, Sorghastrum nutans, Eragrostis, and Panicums, among others. Forbs often are present in the prairie mix - not strictly grass like LeConte's seem to prefer more. In this case, Brushy Broomsedge was the dominant grass type and ironweed, goldenrod, and a small holly tree where the sparrow preferred to hang out. Not surprisingly, LeConte's were just a few meters away in similar but all grass microhabitat. However, there is overlap in habitat preference in winter as I saw both in the same binocular view last year on this same property. Boc for today. Will get more up soon.