Date: 10/5/24 1:09 pm From: Peter Schneekloth via groups.io <peterschneekloth...> Subject: [sbcobirding] Gaviota - Thick-billed Fox Sparrow
Not all that rare of a bird but Lehman has as Thick-billed Fox Sparrow as very rare in coastal zone so thought I would put this out for comment if of interest to anyone. At the N end of the Beach to Backcountry trail at Gaviota State Park a Fox Sparrow with very large bill and giving consistent tink calls. Merlin fairly consistently called the tink calls a fox sparrow but there were California Towhee's present and Merlin did ID as Towhee on occasion. I never saw the bird call but the calls seemed to be coming from same area where the short song phrases came from so I'm reasonably certain this was the Fox Sparrow calling. Recording in attached ebird link, photo's at my flickr.
