Kelly,


Lincoln's Sparrows are most readily located by their distinctive call note.
No other sparrow in our area utters a chip like the Lincoln's. Invariably,
the bird is in a dense thicket as stated by others. It is considered elusive
while on migration, but the call is a dead give-away.

Banding finds this to be a far more common bird than is generally thought. I
believe banders at Iona Island found this to be so a few years ago. Anybody
with data on this?

In eastern Washington, it is a fairly common migrant in April (especially
around the 20th) and again in fall. I believe it winters regularly in very
small numbers only in the southernmost Columbia Basin.

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA
>Tweeters,
>
>I am hoping for some enlightenment on the what, when, and where of Lincoln's
>Sparrows in western Washington. The field guide write-ups tell me a little
>but I would like a little more detail. What habitat are they most often
>found in? What locations are good for seeing the species? What months find
>them in Washington?
>
>I know I have seen mention of Lincoln's Sparrows in a number of late
>summer/early fall (?)bird lists but I have forgotten the details. I seem to
>remember seeing mention of their being abundant in the tall grass on the
>Nisqually delta, perhaps in October. Does this make sense?
>
>Is it fairly easy to mistake one for a song sparrow?
>
>Kelly McAllister
>
>