Greetings All

The Sullivans said "The Nisqually bird(s) seem to match the bird well that
Keith Brady photographed in his Olympia yard this past fall."

Excuse me, but huh? In what way do the Nisqually birds resemeble the Red Fox
Sparrow on Keith's website? Well, they are both Fox Sparrows, that IS a start.

Sorry to be rude, but I will try again:
The bird that Keith photographed is P.i. iliaca or P.i. zaboria, the two ONLY
two races that are UNIFORMLY accepted as comprising "Red Fox Sparrow." Note
the heavy back streaking and well marked rusty auricular patch for starters.
Now, look at Joe Higbee's excellent pics or those on the Sullivan's website. The
Nisqually bird lacks both of these features. The head pattern is far more
subdued as is the back streaking. These are two reasons why the Nisqually bird(s)
is/are NOT a "standard" Red Fox Sparrow.

Also, it should be noted that altivagans is far from uniformly accepted as a
"Red Fox Sparrow" among those studying Fox Sparrows. It may well be a
population that represents a stable intergrade zone of sorts, much like the flickers
in their intergrade zone.

By the way, though the Sullivans are correct that altivagans is not depicted
in most field guides, it is quite nicely depicted in Sibley's guide (hmmm,
isn't that the most popular guide....well, maybe it's second), a bird that bears
a striking resemblance to the Nisqually birds. The brief paragraph in the
Sibley guide really sums up a lot about this race/population: "One of the most
confusing populations: intermediate between Red and Slate-colored (sometimes
considered a population of Red); may also intergrade with Sooty to the west."

Saludos
Steve Mlodinow
Everett WA














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