The dark-colored sparrows with grey stripes are definitely song sparrows,
although I think I have also seen lighter races (is that the right word??
variants?) in the summer that are slimmer and smaller. They have a very
sharp cheep that often continues for hours and are generally found in
tangles of blackberries or similar vegetation. I've been told you can't
mistake them for fox sparrows, which shouldn't have any striping on the head
and have more "chevron-shaped" stripes on their chest, but I haven't ever
actually seen one for sure.

I can't imagine that there's anything wrong with picking up a feather, but
collection of a nest might not be a good idea if it could be used the next
spring. Any comments on this from the museum folks? Do you "simulate"
nests for displays or use real ones?


Teresa Michelsen
Inglewood, King County, WA
temi461 at ecy.wa.gov