In message <Pine.A32.3.92a.960723200904.25000A-100000 at homer09.u.washington.edu>
writes:
> On Tue, 23 Jul 1996 steppie at wolfenet.com wrote:
> > No Sage or Lartk Sparrows were noted at this wet area; these species were
> > still in their usual breeding habitats which are the lower, drier
> > communities of the shrub-steppe zone.
>
> Hi Tweets, let's talk about this for a second. Lark Sparrow records from
> the BBA occur throughout the Columbia Basin, Palouse, and Okanogan Valley.
> My (albeit limited) experience with them in Washington is only in stands
> of Big Sage during the breeding season. Other reports and printed
> material also bear this out, yet they are surely breeding in nonforested
> habitats throughout eastern Washington. So what do people perceive as
> Lark Sparrow's *preferred* breeding habitat?

Mike,

Twenty plus years of birding, censusing, collecting, banding in the shrub-steppe
(including banding over 100 Lark Sparrows) leaves me with the following
perception of Lark Sparrrow perferred breeding habitat:
1) They can occasionally be found breeding along-side Sage Thrashers, Sage
Sparrows, and Brewer's Sparrows in dense stands of big sagebrush.
2) They are most common where fairly dense big sagebrush is in association with
basalt; not up in the "rimrocks". The highest density of Lark Sparrow breeding
I've seen was on a BBS route I ran in Idaho near the Craters of the Moon (fairly
flat, much basalt, shrub steppe)
3) Sometimes they use a Bitterbrush/basalt association; they seem to need a
large shrub though (not rabbitbrush for instance).
4) Their movement into adjacent riparian areas as soon as the young fledge is
well very pronounced at the Douglas Creek Banding Station (imagine 30 HY Lark
Sparrows in a mist net at once).

Today (MAPS 7 for 1996) well over 200 Lark Sparrows were at the Banding Station.
Some Lark Sparrow songs were heard (?). A few do breed in Douglas Creek, could
they be attempting a second brood (after leading their first broods to the
land-o-plenty) (?)

In response to Dennis' query: The appearance of HY birds is a week or two late
this year. I have not quantified this, just a quick perusal of the banding
sheets. Some species are on a second brood (e.g. Spotted Towhees peeping from a
nest today).

Gots ta go,
Dan



Dan Stephens (509) 662-7443
Dept. of Biology fax: (509) 664-2538
Wenatchee Valley College e-mail: dstephen at ctc.edu
1300 Fifth Street
Wenatchee, WA 98801