[obol] Apparent Red Fox Sparrow in Luckiamute state lands complex, SE Polk Co.

[Joel Geier]

Hello folks,

Yesterday Randy Moore and I covered the Luckiamute state lands complex
in SE Polk/NE Benton Co., as part of the Airlie CBC. We had particularly
good luck in the North Luckiamute Cooperative Management Area parcel
which is managed by ODFW, on the north side of OPRD's adjoining
Luckiamute State Natural Area (comprising the old Luckiamute Landing,
Vanderpool, Baker, and Oregon Botanicals tracts). This parcel is along
Buena Vista Rd. on the north side of the Luckiamute River (see DeLorme
p. 53 C-7). 

After Randy relocated an immature HARRIS'S SPARROW which Howard Bruner
had found there on 27 Dec, plus a SWAMP SPARROW, I joined him after
wrapping up on the south side of the river and we continued to bird this
very nice sparrow patch. 

We had a nice long look at an apparent RED FOX SPARROW in just about the
same place where Randy had seen the Harris's Sparrow. This bird had a
bright rufous rump and tail, pronounced dark rusty streaks on a grayish
mantle, distinct dark brownish spots with a rufous tinge on the breast,
plain gray head and cheeks (similar to the background color of the
mantle), and a strong dark rusty-brown malar. The bill was smallish (as
Fox Sparrows go) and dull yellowish (not so orange as Sibley shows for
classic eastern Red Fox Sparrow).

According to Rising and Beadle, the bright rufous rump and tail together
with streaking on the mantle are supposed to be diagnostic for the Red
Fox Sparrow group. This bird did not have the rufous markings on the
auriculars as shown by Sibley (or if present, they were indistinct) so
it would seem to be a bird from the more western part of the range, i.e.
more like the "Yukon" Fox Sparrow, P. iliaca zaboria which ranges from
Alaska to Manitoba, presumably the "Canadian Rocky Mountains" Fox
Sparrow which Sibley shows as an intergrade of Red x Slate-colored Fox
Sparrow.

Also for what it's worth, this bird seemingly paid no attention to my
Western Screech-Owl imitations, which usually get all of the Sooty Fox
Sparrows in the area to sit up.

Hopefully someone can get a photo good enough to hash out the identity
of this bird for certain. It was certainly strikingly different from any
Fox Sparrow I have ever seen in Oregon, including northeast Oregon's
Slate-coloreds, and all of our wintering Sooties.

The spot for the Harris's Sparrow and putative Red Fox Sparrow is 150
yards straight east of ODFW's parking area and sign board, which is on a
turnout on the east side of Buena Vista Rd. at the north boundary of the
North Luckiamute Cooperative Management Area (about 2 miles north of
Spring Hill Drive, at the north end of the straight stretch of Buena
Vista Rd. just before it goes through a couple of curves around a
bluff). Randy's Swamp Sparrow was a bit south of there.

We also found a total of 9 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS in the Luckiamute
state lands complex (most of them in the Vanderpool Tract in the south
unit of the Luckiamute SNA, including one flock of three and several
singles that were singing of their love for Canada in the morning fog).

Randy also found a bunch of CHIPPING SPARROWS in filbert orchards in
American Bottom farther north, so I think he had a dozen sparrow species
on the day, perhaps thirteen if Red Fox Sparrow counts as a species.
However, we were bummed to find no Horned Larks for this count.

Good birding,
Joel

--
Joel Geier
joel.geier at peak.org