Don Cecile writes:

>Jack, I cannot offer any advice regarding the identification or possibility
>of Asian Buntings but I did want to share with you my initial reaction to
>your experience. I had somewhat of a similar experience one year ago. I
>saw a bird that I thought to be an aberrant Savannah Sparrow but upon closer
>examination realized that it could not be. It was as I still believe
>today, to be a Smith's Longspur. I understand that this time of year is a
>peak time for seeing them. I read your description and it did not quite
>fit, but then it did not quite fit anything else either. Did you consider
>Smith's Longspur?

Nope. I have seen the grand total of one Smith's Longspur ever - and
ad. male, at that - but the jizz of the two birds is completely
different with the longspur being more "portly" and a bit bigger, than
the mystery bunting.

then Michael Price wrote:

>Dennis wrote (but I don't know when 'cause my new Real Job + commute
>limits my Tweeter Time to reading one or two posts a day, big rats):

(off-topic)

*This* is why we haven't heard from you in ages, Michael! You got a
job?!!? I feel for you. Nothing cuts into really useful birding
endeavours like working for a pay cheque. Hope it at least is
something you like doing.

>A really obvious walk points away from any emberizine bunting (including
>our North American sparrows) except for longspurs and Snow/McKay's (or
>is it MacKay's?).

<then follows the usual MP good-humoured exposition on how Savannah
Sparrows disguise their gait when with pipits so as not to get run out
of the flock>

>And that's how I came to know that Savannah Sparrows can be, however
>temporarily, confused with a basic-plumaged Red-throated Pipit, who'd have
>thought it?

>Why the mimicry? Maybe the sparrows had discovered that feeding with
>pipits was easier after the larger bird had knocked down grass seeds from
>the higher stems in its own foraging, and the SAVS had learned to take
>advantage. Maybe Sparrows That Walk With The Pipits (a little-known
>archetype) have also learned that the bigger birds will run them off if they
>don't walk the same walk.

Good questions. There is a thesis in there for somebody.

>Do they migrate together? I'm not sure. I think this association was
>fortuitous, but the SAVS behavior indicates it's happened before. Of course,
>maybe the sparrows were walking because they were just too damned tired
>of hopping ;-)

I'm not sure a Savannah Sparrow could keep up with a pipit flock in
full migration mode. Longspurs are a good match but I think sparrows
would likely have more of a leisurely approach to things rather than
the hellbent-for-leather flockings of pipits (and longspurs). We may
not ever learn what the heck it was I saw but at least we now know
that some sparrows are not gait-mimics!

,Jack