Hi Tweeters, I again have a question regarding Fox Sparrows. Which races
occurr in Washington in the winter? (Actually, it's the same question as
before). I saw one at Magnusson on Sunday,
which I have gone back to look at again. The coloration suggests
either the Rocky Mountain form, schistacea, or the California form,
stephensi (Large-billed Sparrow). The head and nape are uniformly gray,
and the rufous tail and rump feathers contrast sharply with the gray
nape/back. I did not get to see the bill, but intuitively it seems much
more likely to be from the Rockies (schistacea) than from California
(stephensi). Just for fun, there was also the expected fuliginosa at
both Magnusson and ML Fill. There was no streaking in the face, so I
ruled out the Eastern race.

____________________________
Mike Smith
Univ. of Washington, Seattle
whimbrel at u.washington.edu