[MDOsprey] Possible Lincoln's Sparrow at Cromwell Valley Park

Don Burggraf (dburggraf@hotmail.com)
Fri, 01 Oct 1999 08:08:57 PDT


Dear folks,

Friday morning, on a beautiful one hour excursion at Cromwell Valley Park 
(North of Baltimore), quite a bit was moving.

Warblers included Magnolia and Black-throated Green.  Scarlet Tanagers, 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, White-throated Sparrow, Blue-headed Vireo, Brown 
Thrasher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Blue-gray 
Gnatcatcher were among the more interesting finds.

But I got excited about one sparrow on the path between the parking lot and 
the farm, on the North side of the stream.  I'm still checking my resources, 
but for now I'll call it a possible Lincoln's.  From my notes:

Raised rough crest.  Cocked tail.  Breast with fine steaks on a
buffy breast.  White belly.  Dark whisker mark.  Gray above and
below the eyestripe, with a wide eyeline.  Tail too short for a song
sparrow.  four to five feet above ground in grassy shrubby area.
Dropped down into the shrubs after almost one minute observation.

The whisker stripe was dark, but narrow and well-defined in comparison to a 
song sparrow seen seconds later.

If any birders in Baltimore want to look for a Lincoln's, this should be 
worth checking.

Don Burggraf
Baltimore
dburggraf@hotmail.com

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