CLOSED: Help with Sparrow

It's not a song sparrow and sorta looks like a swamp sparrow but I don't think it is. Can anyone id it?

Thanks

Al

2nd photo

Best match in my field guide is Swamp Sparrow, plus it look's like its in the right habitat for it.

Yeah Burd I agree but my field guide says it's the summer plumage and summer is gone so that kind of threw me off.

Thanks

I'd go with Swamp Sparrow too.

One does get occasional birds which keep summer plumage in winter - I once saw a Black-headed Gull with a full summer hood in November, right in the middle of the period when it shouldn't have had it.

Resin

When I go through my field guide, if I find a bird that resembles a bird that need's an Id, I first look at the range, then I break it down to birds that are in the range of the photographer. I use the Kaufman Field Guide to North American Bird's, if there is a difference between summer and winter plumage's it will be in there, so far it has not let me down. Of course there is always a bird or 2 that stray out of range. Some changes in plumage are slight some are heavy (example Warbler's). To top it off you take excellent photo's which actually can make it a little easier. All in all if I don't know the bird right off, I count on range to get me started on a proper Id.

Of course we have a master in Resin also! :)

I use the Field Guide by Donald and Lillian Stokes which is limited to birds in the Eastern Region. I will have to check out the Kaufman guide.

Thanks for the help

This message was edited Nov 22, 2009 10:41 PM

Ken Kaufman is also a field editor for Audubon, he is also the author of Lives of North American Birds, The Peterson Field Guide to Advanced Birding and Kingbird Highway, I'm hoping to meet him in May.