Tweets,
On Nov. 14 my SAS Sparrows class and I found a Clay-colored Sparrow in a large sparrow aggregation. The location: turn south from Allen West Rd. about a hundred yards west of the Corner Tavern (or Benson Rd.) onto a smaller road that runs due south toward a large silage pile (a couple hundred yards south of Allen West). There is room to pull off and park next to the silage pile. Across the road from the pile is a small corn field with many stalks still standing, except at the south end of the field. Here we found a concentration of 150-200 sparrows, including lots of juncos (at least one "Slate-colored") and Zonotrichia. Among them was one very buffy Clay-colored Sparrow (perhaps a first-winter) and at least two White-throated Sparrows (one tan-striped, one white-striped form). I returned with the other half of the class on the 15th, relocating at least one White-throated but not the Clay-colored; both gambelii and pugetensis White-crowneds were singing that day. Also in the immediate area watching the sparrows were two different Sharp-shinned Hawks and a first-winter Northern Shrike. If you visit this spot, please take literally the No Trespassing signs along the roadside -- it is an active farm. Thanks to Ed Deal for telling me about this site as a good sparrow spot.

Like lots of other long faces on the flats, we did not refind the Eurasian Kestrel. We did see Harlan's Red-tails at four different spots.

Good luck, Bob Sundstrom
ixoreus at home.com