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Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow



After reading Will's forward re the unlikelihood of seeing a Sharp-tailed 
Sparrow in the mountains in February, just thought I'd better add more detail 
because that is absolutely what it was and I understand why there might be 
doubt.

The bird was seen very well and several times by at least three very 
experienced birders (myself, Wayne Forsythe, who also happens to be on the 
Carolina Birds records committee, and Bob Olthoff).  I believe it was also 
seen again by Wayne and by Jonathan Mays the next day. It remained in the area 
at least two days.  I don't know if it is still there because I haven't been 
able to get back.  I took careful mental notes when I saw the bird and noticed 
without looking in any book which is a bad habit I like to avoid:
-buffy orange facial triangle pattern around grayer area near eye
-very noticeable gray mantle and gray crown
-long bill for a sparrow - aside from the immediate shock of seeing the 
buffy-orange color, the bill really got my attention
-flattish head
-short tail for a sparrow
buffy-orange breast and sides with streaking

To sum up, the I.D. was a no-brainer.  Everything else was easily ruled out.

When I first saw the bird it was sitting in the only bush in the area about a 
foot or two off the ground.  After that, most of the time it was either on the 
ground or near the base of the bush and it ran through the grass.

As for the habitat which was not described in detail, this is a large, open, 
flat, grassy field that is mostly filled with water 1 to 3 inches deep 
throughout the winter months.  It is a very popular hang-out for snipe (in 
fact we scared one up very near the sparrow).  As I have posted in the past, I 
have regularly found up to 50 snipe there during the winter months (expect in 
the last two winters) and always find large flocks of snipe (up to 200 or 
more) there during migration in March.  The most common sparrow in this field 
in Savannah, but this was most definitely not a Savannah Sparrow.  Note:  
Henderson County has a lot of rather unusual habitat for the mountains because 
of the very extensive, broad flood plain formed by the French Broad River and 
the Mills River.  For that reason we actually see quite a few unusual birds 
for the mountains here.

Now, what the bird was doing here in mid-February is really the question.  
That I can't answer.  I was quite shocked to see it myself.  The only other 
time we have seen this species in Henderson County is in October.  I would 
have loved to ask this bird what he thought he was doing, but alas, that is 
something we can't do.  Any thoughts are welcome.
Marilyn

Marilyn Westphal
Environmental Quality Institute
University of North Carolina-Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville, NC  28804
828/251-6823
mjwestphal@unca.edu