August 21st, 2005. East Meadows, Northampton, MA.
| Mystery passerine ?
| Every
once in a while it’s nice to get ‘stumped’ by an odd looking bird
in your local surroundings. Having made numerous visits to the East
Meadows this summer/fall I was thrilled to find a small group of Horned
Larks feeding in an empty cucumber field. Just as I was settling down
to enjoy them, a single, really odd looking passerine walked into my
scope view to throw me off balance. My focus suddenly changed. “What on
earth could that be?”.
I spent the next ninety minutes watching it, taking images,
and thinking about the possibilities. Worst of all, I wasn’t carrying a
field guide. I didn’t mind this too much, as it just made me look
harder at the bird in question.
Although, this bird was closely associated with the Horned Larks, it
often fed alone or was sometimes chased off by the other larks. It was
very close in size to Horned Lark, but certainly looked shorter tailed
with slightly dumpier looking proportions and a slightly more bulbous bill
shape. There was a distinct band of downward streaks across the upper
breast forming a clear division between the white belly. The upper
parts were beautifully spangled with white flecks with a rather broad but subtle,
diffuse chestnut-colored band across the nape. Prominent white wing
bars were clearly visible on both wings.
After watching it for a prolonged period, and discussing the bird
with a couple of experienced local birders at the scene, we eventually drew our
own conclusions. But I would like to invite opinion and feedback on
this bird and its identity. Just for your knowledge, I never heard this bird
call, so I can’t comment on vocals.
I will offer my opinion on September 1st.
Do email your thoughts to me at either;
james@keenbirding.com
keenbirder@yahoo.com
Thanks very much for your interest.
Cheers,
James
Amherst, MA.
| | Taken using Canon Powershot A-95 through Swarovski HD telescope. |
|
