When I am in the field, and birding, I generally make it a practice to look
through house sparrow flocks and even house finch flocks out here, with the
express purpose of perhaps one day turning up a Dickcissel.

Past experience, though never in the PNW (yet), a quick perusal through house
sparrow flocks have turned up out-of-season Dickcissels on several occasions
in the Midwest and on the East Coast. One 'pisch' and the whole flock lurches
out of the bush. Every time I'm in the vicnity of the 'West 90', I find
myself always thinking, 'Dickcissel', and just north of the '90' around that
farm house and barns with all those brambles across the road is the place, I
figure. So, maybe someday, tomorrow, next year, or sometime in 2056, one of
you, or me, will get lucky. -- Richard

Richard Rowlett <pagodroma at aol.com>
Bellevue, WA, USA