[birding] Henslow's Sparrow at EE Wilson, Benton County, 15 Jan

[Douglas Robinson]

I found a Henslow's Sparrow this morning in the field now famous for its
Sedge Wren at EE Wilson, north of Corvallis, Benton County.  The bird was in
a small patch of broad-leaved grasses in the center of the field.

To find the location, cut and paste the link below, which should be centered
on the location. Park at one of the public parking areas along Camp Adair
Road and walk north to a shed about 1.5 miles from Camp Adair Road. About
225-250 yards east of the shed, I tied a red and white flagging tape to a
thistle. The bird was first flushed from a grassy patch 40-50 yards south of
the flag. It flew north into a small briar patch just east of the flagging
tape.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Camp+Adair+Road,
+oregon&ie=UTF8&ll=44.715697,-123.210297&spn=0.03507,0.062313&z=14

The bird was very secretive. It flushed under foot and flew about 4 feet to
a patch of grass, then sat partly in view as close as 8 feet from me. I
really only got clear looks at the back, nape, and upper edges of wings when
it was perched there. As I maneuvered to get looks at the rest of the bird,
it flew to the briar patch. It had the typical jerky flight pattern of
Henslow's Sparrow. 

The habitat is reasonable for this bird, but not great. The grass cover is
not high like it often is in other places (Southeast USA) where these birds
winter. The best patches, like the one the bird was in, are small and spread
out in this field.

To read more about the winter habitat in the Southeast, check this paper
out:

http://www.auburn.edu/~grandjb/wildpop/readings/Occupancy/Tucker_et_al_2003.
pdf


W. Douglas Robinson


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