Chris,

In my winter-time backyard banding in west Olympia, I have noted that the
'resident' song sparrows will indeed stay around through the summer.

But, I usually band 15-30 song sparrows annually. Only a few of these
birds repeat through the summer. Many of them are seen (at the feeder/
mist-net) the following winter, as well as through the winter of their
initial banding. I do not know whether these 'wintering' birds are
'migrant' or if they merely disperse away from the feeder situation.

Your song study will be interesting, but I am interested in how you will
discriminate 'residents' from 'migrants' from those birds which disperse a
half-mile, 5 miles, 20 miles, 50 miles..... I would be hard-pressed to
say which of the _Melospiza melodia morphna_ in my yard came from Olympia,
from Snoqualmie or Port Townsend, or from half-way up the British Columbian
coastline (just *where does* M. m. morphna fade out?).

Has anyone done a decent analysis of Song Sparrow band returns for the
Puget trough/Willamette Valley?

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, WA
anderjda at dfw.wa.gov