Tweeters:

Belatedly wished to report that a brief walk on Saturday (10/14) mid-morn up
the paved bike path east of the Everett STP (the path that heads north just
before you cross the Spencer I. bridge) produced a FOS SWAMP SPARROW. The
bird was heard and then came into view just about 25 yards or so north up
the trail, in a flock of many other passerines, a bit south of the
traditional site where singles have shown up a number of times in winter/CBC
time.

There were also many Fox Sparrows in the area, as usual, and I had what
appeared to be either a Slate-colored or an integrade between the
Slate-colored and Sooty, and I'm interested in any feedback out there in
Tweeterland on the latest scoop. I decided to take a look based on the
bird's song: symmetric, clear and with almost bunting-like bounce and
quickness, no irregular or buzzy quality, nor any single introductory
notes--seemingly like Slate-colored. But the plumage did not seem to
entirely fit any single bird depicted in our best-known field guides: heavy
breast spotting, with rounded spots notably dark-rusty-brownish, the rust
clearest at the edges, coalescing into a central spot. The face and head
were contrastingly duller: I could detect no rust or even warm brown,
instead just a dull olive-brown, same for the rest of the upperparts,
although the wings and tail were dark rusty-brownish like the breast
spotting. I found myself wondering what Slate-colored Fox Sparrows might
look like from the extreme n.w. of the known breeding range in BC, but
internet sweeps didn't provide much satisfaction, so anyone who knows about
those or integrades is encouraged to comment.

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com

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