Greetings All,

This may come off as a little over the top, but I want to make it clear that there is no question as
to the identity of the sparrow that Lyn photographed. It is a Chipping
Sparrow. It is not a Dickcissel, nor a White-throated, and not an Am. Tree
Sparrow or a Swamp Sparrow as suggested by respondents from Ohio. Identifying birds is
not something that can be subjected to a democratic process where the identity of the bird goes to the species receiving the most votes from listserv posters. I will almost assuredly be assailed as some sort of "elitist" for suggesting this, but all votes coming from listserv respondents do not carry equal weight because the "electorate" is made up of folks with highly varied levels of experience. Ultimately, the bird is what it is, regardless of what the majority opinion might say. Often times the correct ID to a bird like this is offered up by someone holding a minority opinion, which for whatever reason is the right answer (usually because that person is a more experienced birder).

I first looked at Lyn's photos late yesterday evening after getting home from work. I immediately recognized the sparrow as a Chipping Sparrow and was not to surprised to find that Craig Tumer -- a Portland area birder who recently moved here from Virginia -- had already sent Lyn an extremely well-reasoned public response also suggesting that the bird was a Chipping Sparrow. I chimed in with a couple additional field marks supporting Craig's case only because Craig, who is a very experienced and talented birder, is not yet well known in the region (although he should be). As an example, last winter Craig found and correctly identified a Slaty-backed Gull along the Oregon coast. He also correctedly re-identified a westside sapsucker as a Red-naped Sapsucker X Red-breasted Sapsucker hybrid after scores of birders (some quite talented) had seen it and identified it as a Red-naped Sapsucker.

None of the folks who have offered up other suggestions regarding the identity of this sparrow have provided reasoning for why it is not a Chipping Sparrow and in most cases they have offered little if any discussion supporting their own conclusions. I'm all for public discussions of puzzling ID questions, but it is important that folks new to these forums and perhaps new to birding are not misled. On more than one occasion I've corresponded with new OBOL subscribers who presume that all the other subscribers and posters to the list are very experienced and highly skilled birders. This is how misinformation gets perpetuated.

Dave Irons
Eugene, OR