Subject: Vagrant Song Sparrow
Date: Jan 20 13:02:01 1995
From: Michael Price - Michael_Price at mindlink.bc.ca


Hi Tweeters

Dennis' mention of an interior towhee reminded me that a month ago during a
bird survey in Stanley Park here in Vancouver BC we discovered a small pale
Song Sparrow in a group of 'normal' coastal-race SOSP.

This bird was about 3/4 the size, small-billed, and relatively lightly
streaked pale rufous on white underparts, and the coalescent breast spot
quite small. The ground color of the head was a pale grey striped warm,
pale rufous. The back and wings were a slightly darker but equally warm
rufous and rufous-brown to medium brown and dark chestnut. Tail was medium
brown faintly tinged chestnut.

How different was this bird? Somewhat like finding a Savannah Sparrow in a
flock of coastal-race SOSP. The locals shoved it around pretty regularly,
too.

Any guesses regarding likelihood of a genetically-screwed-up local race
bird or an actual vagrant race from, I'd presume, a kinder, drier place?

Interestingly, at this site (a feeding area at the stone bridge) were
several Fox Sparrows--a couple of dark-race birds, 1 'grey-headed', and one
with a good deal of grey and light rufous on head, wings, and back which I
have a suspicion may have come from east of the Rockies.
Michael Price
Vancouver BC Canada
michael_price at mindlink.bc.ca