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Posted by MikeVasi on 12:34:58 11/30/14
I got to the Sparrow Fields before dawn and had a fantastic, birdy time. In direct contrast to my prior visit on 11/26, there were sparrows all over today. Savannah Sparrows were just about everywhere at one point, and there were plenty of Grasshopper Sparrows around too. The air was still and crisp, the birds were still and prominently perched, the light was gorgeous; this was all probably because I don't own a camera...
There are fairly fresh tire ruts going from one berm to another, roughly N - S.
I walked the trail and came to a head of saltbush and other shrubby vegetation. I got my sights on a male Cardinal that was making a lot of noise and up popped what I'm thinking may have been a Chat. I saw a very bright yellow throat, whitish spectacles, and a clean white rump. These were flashes as the bird dropped deep into the shrubs.
It happened so fast that I can't be sure, but I did certainly get a strong feeling of novelty. The bird seemed almost the size of the Cardinal. Common Yellowthroats were all around, but this particular bird set off an alarm for me. I tried a little pishing, and while two Yellowthroats did pop up, I was only left with a vague feeling of doubt about the Chat, rather than a certainty that I had misidentified a female Yellowthroat. No response to playback of Chat calls.
eBird has no reports of Chats in the area, so I figured I'd check here to see if anyone on the board has seen one at this locale.
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