Baird's Sparrow in Grasslands National Park

Far off in bushes at the edge of the grasses, a rare and elusive Baird's Sparrow...

Towards the left, the Baird's Sparrow © SB

What is this bird? A Baird's Sparrow 
Location: Grasslands National Park, near Val Marie, Saskatchewan. Prairie Passages Tour

Photo date:  June 26, 2013.

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Bobolinks: Songbirds From Saskatchewan to Paraguay

Bobolink on a stalk of dock... 
How much farther away could it be? © SB

I've been looking for Bobolinks for a couple of years — clear, up-close, well-lit, easy-to-photograph-with-feather-detail Bobolinks, not just checklist Saskatchewan grasslands birds.

But so far, they've eluded me, and I see them only when I'm a passenger in a fast car, or they are far off in twilight marshes or deep into atmospherically distorted distant reeds.

A recent trip to Grasslands National Park continued that pattern: When Bobolinks landed, they landed far from me.

I become more interested in Bobolinks on that trip when I learned that these songbirds are among those that migrate annually between North and South America... (Yes, the same population, the exact same birds, share the ribbons of grasses that stretch along our hemisphere.)

And while we see them in Saskatchewan as fairly solitary birds in dramatic black, white and yellow breeding plumage, in Paraguay, Bobolinks appear in massive flocks of brown-sparrow-striped birds in drab winter camouflage.

Crop of the Bobolink picture   © SB

"The Bobolink is amazing because of the colour — it is completely different here," says Dr. Alberto Yanosky, the biologist who heads Guyra Paraguay, that country’s leading organization for biodiversity research and conservation. (It's also a Birdlife International affiliate.) "You may very easily say that they are different species, but they are the same."

Yanosky, recently named the 2013 Latin American winner of the National Geographic Society/Buffett Award for Leadership in Conservation, was in Saskatchewan for the June Prairie Passages Tour of our publicly owned grasslands. 

"We say that they decided to breed here, but they are our birds, that we lend them to you," he says. "And you think that it is on the other side, that they are your birds, and they go south to avoid winter here."  

I'm happy to share the Bobolinks and our other grassland birds including Swainson's Hawks, Upland Sandpipers, Common Nighthawks and Wilson's Phalaropes ... I only wish they would land closer to my camera! 

What is this bird? A male Bobolink, in breeding plumage.

Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada Prairie Passages Tour

Photo date: June 25, 2013. 

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Chestnut-collared Longspurs on Pasture Rocks in Saskatchewan

Chestnut-collared Longspur, singing in early morning. © SB

Early morning, and Chestnut-collared Longspurs are singing from rocks and sagebrush in a pasture near Grasslands National Park, in southern Saskatchewan.

These small songbirds seem to like a very specific habitat... I only saw them in this one small area, with sagebrush and these rocks.

Their limited habitat — and land-use competition for it — may explain why Chestnut-collared Longspurs are now entered as "threatened" on the Canadian federal government's Species At Risk lists.

In general, they prefer native pastures, followed by other grazed grasses and hayland, and in Saskatchewan, Chestnut-collared Longspurs are more often found on pastures than on hay or cropland.

That's significant, as their breeding territory and distribution is very limited, from southern Alberta to southern Manitoba, south to westcentral Colorado, and east through North Dakota and South Dakota to western Minnesota. (Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Chestnut-collared Longspur, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center.)

From a distance or in flight, these prairie birds look, well, brown. Just like so many other little birds. But in breeding season, the males sport crisp black vests and vibrant chestnut collars. And start the morning, singing.

Chestnut-collared Longspur, displaying its chestnut collar.  © SB

Sagebrush: Another singing spot for Chestnut-collared Longspurs. © SB

Closer view of the Chestnut-collared Longspur on sage.© SB 

Seen on the Public Pastures-Public Interest 2013 grasslands/pastures Prairie Passages Tour with Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson. For more on the tour and updates on the work of PPPI and the future of the PFRA pastures, see Trevor Herriot's Grass Notes, and Pasture Posts.

What are these? Chestnut-collared Longspurs.
Location: Near Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.
Photo date: June 25, 2013.

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White-throated Sparrow - White and Tan Morphs: May Backyard Sparrow, Regina, SK (7)

White morph White-throated Sparrow 
in the apple tree © SB

When I saw the first White-throated Sparrow this year in my Regina, Saskatchewan, backyard, I was puzzled by its markings.

The White-throated Sparrows I'd seen (or noticed, anyway) last year were crisply marked — white head stripes, white throat, yellow lores (spots between the eye and bill).

Even their bright throats were clearly outlined, like the bird at right, one of the later White-throated Sparrows to arrive in my yard.

This year's first arrivals, however, were drab and very generically little-brown-bird.

But when I took shots for identification and displayed them full-screen on my 24-inch monitor — and significantly lightened the exposure, shadows, etc. — I realized these, too, where White-throated Sparrows.

There are a couple of options for the IDs of these browner bird, and perhaps a reader can help clarify this?

1. I've seen several similar White-throated Sparrows on photo websites posted as immature birds, but my Stokes shows the immatures as clearly white-marked... 
2. There are also Tan-morphs of White-throated Sparrows, which my Stokes shows as looking fairly close to the brown birds in my photos, so perhaps that's what these are? And if so, I guess the bright white guys would be white-morphs... 

In any case, that's what I'm leaning to here: #2. Tan morphs. Below. 

And so, this year, both the White and Tan morphs of White-throated Sparrows showed up in my yard. 

Which doesn't seem all that unusual, as apparently mated pairs "almost always include one of each morph." (Sibley guides info on White-Throated Sparrows.)  And these birds pictured above and below were both in the same apple tree... 

Tan morph White-throated Sparrow
in the same apple tree. © SB

Tan morph White-throated Sparrow on the ground. (Even more difficult to see its murky markings) © SB

What are these?  White-throated Sparrows, White morph Tan morph.
Location: Backyard, Regina, Saskatchewan.

Photo date: May 11, 2013. 

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Lincoln's Sparrow: May Backyard Sparrows, Regina SK (5)

Lincoln's Sparrow in Regina, Saskatchewan, backyard. © SB 

Lincoln's Sparrow was a frequent visitor to our Regina, Saskatchewan, backyard in early May.

This small native songbird looks less than half the size of our more common House Sparrows and House Finches.

Lincoln's Sparrow has a clear buffy chest with streaks, and multi-toned streaks on its head.

Often, this bird's head feathers are ruffled to create a peaked crown.

Lincoln's Sparrow's habitat ranges across North America: It breeds in the north (but not the very far north) and Rockies, winters in Mexico, and is on migration in between... All About Birds says it's even been seen in Cuba.

Close-up of Lincoln's Sparrow's head,
beak and chest. © SB 

Look closely at this small, back-scratching bird, 
and you'll see Lincoln's Sparrow's peaked crown. © SB 

What is this?  Lincoln's Sparrow

Location: Backyard, Regina, Saskatchewan.

Photo date: May 10 & 11, 2013. 

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