Date: 10/25/12 4:23 pm
From: Birding <ruff2...>
Subject: Re: [MDBirding] LeConte's Sparrow - Howard Conservancy


Sorry, detailed directions to the spot:

Fr parking lot walk west past old barn and down the hill to right of tree line. At the bottom, cross the creek via the wooden bridge and turn right then walk about forty yards. Bird was seen in vicinity of four or five small cedar trees less than ten feet in height, and from there further north about 100 yards to the back corner of the mowed field but not in the mowed field.

Russ Ruffing
Woodstock. Md

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 25, 2012, at 7:00 PM, Russ Ruffing <ruff2...> wrote:

> I stopped after work to see if I could find an "orange sparrow" that was seen for just a second or two this morning by Howard Patterson and Karen Darcy, along the floodplain to the west of the parking lot and adjacent to the mowed field. After searching for a half hour, a small pale sparrow kicked up very close by and landed in a clump of grass about 20 feet away. I could only see its head, which was very flat and had a broad yellowish supercilium. I knew it was either a Nelson's or a LeConte's at that point. David Cummings showed up a few minutes later and we tracked the bird over the next 30 minutes as it would flush and then fly 10-30 yards each time only to disappear again or perch up for just a couple seconds. We got diagnostic looks and photos. Major fieldmarks were the broad supercilium and yellow cheek stripe enclosing a grayish face, purplish streaking on nape, finely streaked breast washed with pale cream tones, and pale yellow flanks streaked with dark brown. Boy, am I glad I stopped! I only had 30 minutes to spare and did not have high hopes. Also had a nice look at a Vesper. Photos on my flickr site:
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/yawncelot/
>
> Russ Ruffing
> Woodstock, MD
>
>
>
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