Northwest Nature Log: Another unusual bird on the Peninsula

Published 11:40 am Tuesday, October 20, 2015

A clay-colored sparrow is spending some autumn time on the Peninsula. He was spotted at a seed feeder on Willapa Bay with a mixed flock of juncos, song sparrows and golden-crowned sparrows.

Clay-colored sparrows spend the summer on their breeding grounds in the far north and east of Canada down through the Upper Midwest of the U.S. They winter in Mexico, and the major pathway that they follow north -to -south runs through the Central Plains area of the U.S. But there is also a much smaller migratory path that runs along our coast. It’s a good guess that’s how this little bird arrived here.

Clay-colored sparrows are just that, but they have quite beautifully marked faces. They sport a finely streaked crown of brown and white, a large white eyebrow that runs to the nape, and a “crisp brown cheek patch” as described in iBird Plus: North America. The nape is a soft gray and the breast a creamy buff. They are smaller On the whole, a very attractive little bird.

Part of the fun of birding is carefully checking each bird in a flock of what look to be just the usual suspects. Most often, that is who will be found. But taking a bit more time can yield unusual treats. Mike Patterson, the Astoria birder who first identified the unusual godwits, patiently looks at every individual.

Undoubtedly there are many rare and unusual birds that stop over here or are blown in on the storms. The more observant birders there are in the field, the more rare birds will be discovered.