Tweeters Archives

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Andy: This is not about Black-throated Sparrows, but Rick (a friend) =
and I
have looked for them outside Bridgeport at milepost l24 (or was lt =
l42?),=20
anyway, where you reported one, but no luck yet. Too hot. But =
yesterday
and today Rick and I looked at what we hope was a Grey Flycatcher.
On your Delorme it is on p. l00, C l. Instead of driving up Hooker =
Creek Rd.,
you go up the cementery road. At the top we found (Rick found!) the =
bird
on a nest, with two young. She sat so tight we got within 3 ft. before =
she
flushed. Rick should have good pictures. Large black eye with only =
faint eye
ring. Mostly brown bird, long tail which it dropped down slowly when =
perched. =20
No calls, except when flushed, made call to try and get us to follow it. =
The
reason I'm telling you all of this is you posted a note about grey =
flycatchers, and
we'd like to get this confirmed. Rick and I know Gary Kuiper of Grand =
Coulee.
I'm going to be away from computer until after Aug. l0th. Thanks. =
Meredith

----
From: Andy Stepniewski <steppie at wolfenet.com>
To: TWEETERS <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Cc: Dick <cannings at vip.net>
Date: Saturday, August 02, 1997 11:02 AM
Subject: Black-throated Sparrows with fledged young north of Wapato WA- =
2 August 1997

Fellow Tweets,

This morning, on a hike into the sagelands north of my home, I watched a
family group of Black-throated Sparrows. The 3+ young were fully fledged
and actively calling and chasing after their parents (presumably =
begging?).
These birds were in the east-west gulch on the south flanks of the
Rattlesnake Hills (T12N R19E Sec 22), in the same area where I've been
hearing and seeing this species since late June. In July I watched adult
Black-throats in an agitated state, though I did not locate a nest (I
didn't really try, not wanting to prompt abandonment). I also watched a
young bird or two flee from me two weeks ago. I presumed it was a =
juvenile
Black-throat, but didn't get a good look at the bird. The thought =
occurred
to me it might be a Lark Sparrow, as the two species seem to coexist in
these sagelands.

So today's observations constitute the first proof of successful =
breeding
in Yakima County. This is my third encounter with breeding by
Black-throated Sparrows in eastern Washington: I've seen an adult =
feeding
young at Sentinel Gap south of Vantage and observed a fledged young
(Wahluke Slope Wildlife Area).

The more I encounter Black-throated Sparrows in eastern Washington and
observe the habitat they occupy here, the more I wonder if =
Euro-settlement
hasn't aided a northward extension of their range. They usually occupy
terrain that range conservationists classify as "degraded," most usually
from excessive grazing by cattle or sheep. Such sites typically have a =
low
cover of grasses and have also lost much of the cryptogam layer (mosses,
lichens, etc that used to form a crust on top of the soil between =
grasses
and shrubs through much of the shrub-steppe zone. In a few sites, such =
as
between Vantage and Priest Rapids Dam, they occupy a nearly grass-less
shrub-steppe, here weathering of the surrounding basaltic ridges and =
flood
deposits has resulted in a very gravelly lithosol. That type of =
substrate
may be as or more important to this sparrow as the terrain created by
cattle and sheep, but it is of local occurrence in eastern WA.

If my supposition is correct, the influx of Black-throated Sparrows here
may be analgous to that of the Gray Flycatcher over the past 25 years =
(in
the lower ponderosa pine zone) in that man through his activities
(selective logging in the case of the flycatcher) has created favorable
habitat and allowed a northward push of both these birds into the inland
Northwest.

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA

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Andy: This is not about Black-throated Sparrows, but Rick (a friend) =
and=20
I

have looked for them outside Bridgeport at milepost l24 (or was lt =
l42?),=20

anyway, where you reported one, but no luck yet. Too hot. But =
yesterday

and today Rick and I looked at what we hope was a Grey Flycatcher.

On your Delorme it is on p. l00, C l. Instead of driving up Hooker =
Creek=20
Rd.,

you go up the cementery road. At the top we found (Rick found!) =
the bird

on a nest, with two young. She sat so tight we got within 3 ft. =
before she

flushed. Rick should have good pictures. Large black eye with only =
faint=20
eye

ring. Mostly brown bird, long tail which it dropped down slowly when =

perched. =20

No calls, except when flushed, made call to try and get us to follow =
it. The

reason I'm telling you all of this is you posted a note about grey=20
flycatchers, and

we'd like to get this confirmed. Rick and I know Gary Kuiper of =
Grand=20
Coulee.

I'm going to be away from computer until after Aug. l0th. Thanks. =
Meredith

 
---- 
From: Andy Stepniewski <steppie at wolfenet.com> 
To: TWEETERS <tweeters at u.washington.edu> 
Cc: Dick <cannings at vip.net> 
Date: Saturday, August 02, 1997 11:02 AM 
Subject: Black-throated Sparrows with fledged young north of =
Wapato WA- 2=20
August 1997 
 
<HTML><BODY>Fellow Tweets, 
 
This morning, on a hike into the sagelands north of my home, I watched =
a 
family group of Black-throated Sparrows. The 3+ young were fully =
fledged 
and actively calling and chasing after their parents (presumably =
begging?). 
These birds were in the east-west gulch on the south flanks of the 
Rattlesnake Hills (T12N R19E Sec 22), in the same area where I've =
been 
hearing and seeing this species since late June. In July I watched =
adult 
Black-throats in an agitated state, though I did not locate a nest =
(I 
didn't really try, not wanting to prompt abandonment). I also watched =
a 
young bird or two flee from me two weeks ago. I presumed it was a =
juvenile 
Black-throat, but didn't get a good look at the bird. The thought =
occurred 
to me it might be a Lark Sparrow, as the two species seem to coexist =
in 
these sagelands. 
 
So today's observations constitute the first proof of successful =
breeding 
in Yakima County. This is my third encounter with breeding by 
Black-throated Sparrows in eastern Washington: I've seen an adult =
feeding 
young at Sentinel Gap south of Vantage and observed a fledged young 
(Wahluke Slope Wildlife Area). 
 
The more I encounter Black-throated Sparrows in eastern Washington =
and 
observe the habitat they occupy here, the more I wonder if =
Euro-settlement 
hasn't aided a northward extension of their range. They usually =
occupy 
terrain that range conservationists classify as "degraded," =
most=20
usually 
from excessive grazing by cattle or sheep. Such sites typically have a =
low 
cover of grasses and have also lost much of the cryptogam layer =
(mosses, 
lichens, etc that used to form a crust on top of the soil between =
grasses 
and shrubs through much of the shrub-steppe zone. In a few sites, such =
as 
between Vantage and Priest Rapids Dam, they occupy a nearly =
grass-less 
shrub-steppe, here weathering of the surrounding basaltic ridges and =
flood 
deposits has resulted in a very gravelly lithosol. That type of =
substrate 
may be as or more important to this sparrow as the terrain created =
by 
cattle and sheep, but it is of local occurrence in eastern WA. 
 
If my supposition is correct, the influx of Black-throated Sparrows =
here 
may be analgous to that of the Gray Flycatcher over the past 25 years =
(in 
the lower ponderosa pine zone) in that man through his activities 
(selective logging in the case of the flycatcher) has created =
favorable 
habitat and allowed a northward push of both these birds into the =
inland 
Northwest. 
 
Andy Stepniewski 
Wapato WA 

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