[obol] GC Sparrow song variation

[Barbara Combs]

I heard this same song a few days ago from one of the Golden-crowned
Sparrows lingering in my yard.  This year maybe the subspecies that
sings this way is making a general movement through the state.  I had
thought that "my" Golden-crowned flock had left, but then found a
group again at my feeder.  Perhaps these are different individuals
than the ones that overwintered.

On Mon, May 5, 2008 at 11:24 AM, Larry McQueen <larmcqueen at msn.com> wrote:
> Jay,
>
> A few yrs ago I described on OBOL a Golden-crown song I heard in my
> neighborhood in Eugene that was new to me.  It sounded like it was half
> White-crowned.  It was much like what you describe, but the trill part had
> complex variations.  This song is evidently rarely heard in Oregon.
>
> Larry
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: obol-bounces at oregonbirdwatch.org
> [mailto:obol-bounces at oregonbirdwatch.org] On Behalf Of Jay Withgott
> Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 9:03 PM
> To: OBOL
> Subject: [obol] GC Sparrow song variation
>
>
> I thought I'd share something in the category of "How could I not
> have noticed this before?"  ... in case this is news to anyone else,
> and so as to learn more about what others in Oregon have found with
> this common species....
>
> In the past several days I've heard two Golden-crowned Sparrows sing
> a song I was not familiar with.  Instead of the typical series of
> three minor-key whistles descending in pitch, this song was three
> whistles followed by a short sweet trill. The first note was highest
> in pitch, the second was lower, and the 3rd and the trill were
> variable.  I heard one bird in my yard in Portland and one in NW
> Clackamas Co.  The bird in my yard appeared to be a migrant, not one
> of our wintering individuals, based on its shy behavior.  Since I had
> not recalled hearing this song all winter, I wondered whether this
> song was a geographic variant of some population that wintered
> furthered south and passed through our area late.
>
> Well, it turns out that that is the case. According to both the BNA
> account and the Sibley guide, Canadian Rockies birds in Yukon, AB, &
> BC sing the four-part trilled song, whereas Alaska birds sing the
> three-whistle song.
>
> Have I just been incredibly unobservant my past few years in Oregon,
> or is the Rockies variant song actually fairly uncommon to hear?  I
> don't remember hearing it in California when I lived there, either.
> Do these four-part singers winter regularly anywhere in Oregon?  Do
> they in fact make up the latest pulse of our migrant GC Sparrows?
>
> Jay Withgott, Portland
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-- 
Barbara Combs obie '70
Eugene OR