[EBB Sightings] A third White-throated Sparrow in the yard??

I don't find it improbable.  ;-)

Two winters ago, we had a White-throated Sparrow off and on in our 
yard all winter, and a 2nd individual (both seen at the same time) 
for a week or two.  Then, last winter, I never saw a White-throated 
Sparrow (anywhere).

Now this winter, we've now had one on and off in our yard.  Since 
this is a 1st-winter bird, it can't be the same bird.  Nor, with the 
1-year hiatus, could the first bird have attracted the new 
bird.  Yet, I don't think it can be a coincidence either.

I don't have a good theory.  Since I've also seen what appear to be 
1st-winter White-throated Sparrows at Miller-Knox and Pt Pinole this 
year, I'm beginning to think they just had a really good batch this 
summer.  If these birds migrated in a flock together, they spread out 
when they got here.  Maybe they breed in the same area as the 
Golden-crowned Sparrows which migrate to this area, and some 
individuals join the GC migration.

Regards,
--
Laura Look
Pinole, CA


At 09:20 AM 11/23/2007, you wrote:
>Our small N. Berkeley yard has hosted a wintering White-throated 
>Sparrow (and last year, two) for all but one of the last several 
>years. This year, our first appeared on 27 Oct and a second this 
>past Monday, 19 Nov. Yesterday, we had an apparent THIRD. We did not 
>see all three simultaneously, but we did have two white-striped 
>birds together, as well as one of the white-striped birds in company 
>with the tan-striped (maybe first-year) individual that has been 
>present for a month.
>The tan-striped bird is quite dingy, the tan supercilium appearing 
>dusky and obscure immediately behind the yellow supraloral spot, and 
>the white throat is strongly and fully partitioned by dark lateral 
>stripes. I can't see confusing it with either of the other two birds.
>To make all this seem a little less improbable, I wonder if these 
>birds have a kind of specific affinity, attracting others of their 
>kind to a reliable food source. Or maybe just staying together after 
>moving south in small flocks from their breeding grounds. 
>Notwithstanding the fact that they are usually reported as lone 
>individuals around here.
>Doug Vaughan
>Berkeley