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Posted by Carlos Sanchez on 17:13:48 10/26/08
I saw a bird I had never seen before, and I am not 100% positive on the ID. I found it feeding on a seed stalk spray amongst the tall grasses growing on the south side of Lucky Hammock. It was feeding on the seeds of that grass. It had a very lightly colored, sparrow-shaped beak (conical). It had very dark eyes, yellow wash on the breast, spreading down rather evenly. The back and wings were definitely a brown color. It was a bit larger than a typical Savannah Sparrow -- I'd say about the size of a Blue Grosbeak. Unfortunately, the seed spray gave me a good enough jist of the bird to see its general coloration, size, and shape -- but not enough to get any markings. I could not see any obvious markings on the breast or head. When I tried to move to the left to get a better view of the bird without the seed in the way, the bird flew in deeper into the grass and could not be seen.
The first thing that ran through my head when I saw the bird was "Dickcissel." I can think of no other bird that looks somewhat like a sparrow with yellow on the breast and brown wings. Unfortunately, I have never seen a Dickcissel before, only in books and photos -- any thoughts?
Other birds of interest seen in the area:
Northern Harrier
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Kestrel
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Pectoral Sandpiper
Common Ground-dove
Gray Catbird
Orange-crowned Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Painted Bunting
Savannah Sparrow
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