Hi Tweets,

A quick run up to Cecil Green Park on the N side of the UBC Campus. In among
the mixed-finch flock by the Coach House to the W of the mansion, were two
unusual birds, an adult SWAMP SPARROW Melospiza georgiana in Definitive
Basic plumage, and a weird-looking junco-type bird so aberrant in plumage
that I finally decided it was probably a hybrid between a Dark-eyed Junco
('oreganus'-type) Junco hyemalis and an unknown sparrow species.

Description: as Oregon-type junco, except--

--charcoal grey hood to mid-breast where divided into two distinct lobes
instead of being cut straight across the pectoral area;
--upper sides/shoulder warm cinnamon-buff;
--area below hood including flanks and belly dull white finely-streaked warm
brown to ventral area, a plumage feature of juvenile junco only;
--dark grey head showed blackish-grey cap, paler grey face with suggestion
of auricular patch;
--back warm brown obscurely streaked darker warm brown, as sparrow, unlike
junco;
--coverts warm brown centered darker brown, as sparrow, unlike junco;
--greater coverts very narrowly tipped white, forming very thin wingbar,
like sparrow, unlike junco;
--tail black, outer rectrices bright white.

That's all I had time to note before a car came along and frightened it into
deep cover from which it did not re-emerge.
Michael Price
Vancouver BC Canada
mprice at mindlink.net

"She's psychic....we've decided to find it charming."
--Frasier