Date: 4/2/25 1:13 pm From: keith_in_eg via groups.io <keith_ineg...> Subject: Re: [pen-bird] Absence of Fox Sparrows - My take from my yard in El Granada
Greetings,
Thank you all for the lively discussion. It's nice to see some activity on pen-bird!
I have been wondering this very same question all Winter! In general, I think I've been noticing fewer large mixed sparrow flocks in the places I usually find them in coastal San Mateo County (e.g. Verde Rd, Cowell Ranch, Johnston House, Wavecrest). Not all of my data is in eBird though because I don't always create checklists when I'm out cycling.
In my yard this Winter, FOSPs have been uncommon and usually only a single individual. High count was 2 this Winter. In past Winters I can recall high counts of 4-10 individuals. I'm on the North side of El Granada and just South of the Coral Reef Ave dead end.
So I did some poking around in eBird looking at my yard data for Oct. 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025. This is what I've traditionally thought of as the 'Winter season'. Here is what I've observed for Fox Sparrows in my yard this Winter:
2024 (Oct-Dec) I have 40 checklists and 6 have included FOSP. High count is 1.
2025 (Jan-Mar) I have 42 checklists and 15 have included FOSP. High count is 2
FOSP appears on 26% of my Winter 2024-25 yard checklists. I hate data reported in percentages, but in this case there are 82 checklists and so it is statistically significant!
