On Sat, Nov 16, 2024 at 7:15 PM Alex Castelein <alex.castelein...>
wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> First the good news- Today Linus and I birded the Cuyama Valley pretty
> hard, and the obvious highlight was a Sagebrush Sparrow! I’d thought there
> was a solid chance this species might winter in very small numbers among
> Bell’s Sparrows in Cuyama, so this was exactly the species I was hoping to
> find this weekend. And boy do I feel vindicated!
>
> Now the bad news- The sparrow’s location, while on public land, is a
> complicated/sensitive spot to access. It is on BLM land (so it’s public)
> about half a kilometer south of the county line, but requires caution so I
> won’t provide the details publicly.
>
> After the Gray Vireo incident, we wanted to let people know promptly and
> give everyone the opportunity to search for the bird. Just like the vireo,
> this is a second mainland-county record (3rd overall), so I’m sure many
> would love to see it. That said, it is still a complicated location, so if
> you’d like to look for the sparrow, please reply to me personally (NOT to
> the whole group) and I will be happy to provide detailed instructions on
> how to go about birding the spot. You can email me or text me
> (650-521-6344), though the latter might go through easier since we have
> very poor reception here (Linus has none).
>
> There’s also a solid chance this bird spends the winter in that patch of
> habitat, and it’s always possible for there to be more than one, or more in
> other spots where Bell’s Sparrows congregate. If you look for this bird,
> make sure to study up because they only have a few subtle differences from
> Bell’s.
>
> We’ll send out a more complete report of our weekend in Cuyama once we get
> back home. I will try to get an eBird checklist with photos of the bird in
> by tonight.
>
> Cheers,
> Alex Castelein
> Isla Vista/UCSB
>
