| Common Name | Grasshopper Sparrow |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ammodramus Savannarum |
| Type of Report | Rare Nesting Species |
| Date of Observation | 07/27/2019 |
| Media | |
| Number Observed | 2 adult, 3 1st & 2 second brood |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Nancy A Brown |
| Mailing Address | PO Box 421 Manchester Center, VT 05255 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 08/10/2019 |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 43.359949 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -73.058162 |
| Place Name | 210 old O |
| Township | Danby |
| County | Rutland |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 04:30 PM |
| Length of Time Observed | multiple see attachments |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 400 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 20 |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Celestron 9.5 x 44 (bins) & Canon Powershot Sx510HS (camera) |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | I have seen at Franklin County Airport in Swanton and June 3rd one in West Rutland. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Active agricultural meadow which also hosts Bob-o-links and Savannah Sparrows. |
| Behaviors Observed | Its flight manner sets it apart from the Savannah's. It flies close to ground and uses breaks in tree line at road way instead of flying over. Avoided flying in trees. |
| Description of Vocalizations | Continuous territory call, the high hissing insect tik tik tikeeeeeeez (grasshopper) voice. Also the courtship song, only described as a high rapid winter wren warbling song was briefly heard on two occasions. note I was at West Rutland site the week before IDed here but believe it was here over a week before I saw. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | see attachments |
| Relative Size & Shape | small, very short tail and short rapid wing beat. |
| Head | Crown dark with white median stripe, face clear buffy with dark spot on rear auricular and upper margin dark stripe. Female/non vocal, had a lower margin dark splotch. |
| Feet & Bill | feet pink, bubble gum pink in sunlight. Bill large, top dark lower grey |
| Upper Back | patterned brown with rufous spots |
| Wings | Short, when flying towards your looked like a flying ping pong ball, rapid beats. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | Buffy breast, pale belly and undertail. |
| Tail | Short, sometimes looking spiking. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | It was unmistakable. It took awhile to determine that there were two and that they were a pair. On finding Bent's Studies learned about their behavior and the pieces all came together. |
| Other Notes & Comments | Sex determined by vocalizations or lack of them. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Immediately After |
Vermont Atlas of Life Partners
