Subject: White-throated Sparrow in North Tacoma
Date: Oct 28 11:40:18 2003
From: Rob McNair-Huff - rob at whiterabbits.com


Amid today's windy conditions, I heard an unfamiliar call from our
feeders outside the living room window this morning and looked out to
see what is a life bird for me, a White-throated Sparrow, feeding
among the spilled sunflower seeds under our feeders along with
Dark-eyed Juncos and a host of House Sparrows. I had a good long look
at the unfamiliar species through my binoculars at a distance of
about 10 feet. At first I mistook the White-throated Sparrow as a
White-crowned Sparrow, since with the naked eye I noted the white
stripes on the head and thought little of the white throat. But once
I looked at the head stripes with my binoculars I saw yellow in the
lores which finally clued me in to the fact that this was not a
white-crowned. A quick look at Sibley confirmed the ID.

I spent the next few minutes setting up the spotting scope in the
living room and watching as the sparrows would land under the feeders
to forage for a moment, then fly off in one large skittish group. The
White-throated Sparrow didn't show itself again, and just as I was
about to give up on my chance to get a digital photo of the bird, I
heard an alert call from a nearby crow. I knew what was about to
happen next. A Sharp-shinned Hawk entered the scene, flashing in
front of me from stage right as I watched out the window, and the
hawk slammed into the snowball bush in our yard, sending sparrows
flying in every direction. In a flash the hawk was gone, flying off
without lunch but kindly offering enough of a glance to confirm that
it was a sharpie and not a Cooper's Hawk.

This all happened a few minutes ago, and now there is no sign of a
sparrow in our yard here in the north end of Tacoma. But the scope is
set up and the digital camera is ready. Now I just need another good
look at the White-throated Sparrow...

Happy birding,

Rob
--
Rob McNair-Huff ---------- mailto:rob at whiterabbits.com
White Rabbit Publishing -- http://www.whiterabbits.com/
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