13 replies to this topic

[ColoTomo]

Only clue is Colorado, July 3, 2011

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[mtdavid]

Lark Bunting?

[JimBob]

I think that Lark Bunting is a good guess.

[ColoTomo]

Okay, I'll give another hint.  Not a lark bunting, and it's very young

[JimBob]

Young Savannah Sparrow? A young Lark Sparrow? This is the one that I think fits best... young Grasshopper Sparrow? 

[Parula]

maybe vesper sparrow

[ColoTomo]

Hmmm.... I'm looking through my bird guides and don't see that close a match. This may have been too hard, probably because of how recently this bird had fledged... Last hint, it's one of the Longspurs

[JimBob]

Wow! I thought about it being one but I just did not say. Should have said something. Okay maybe a Lapland Longspur? I think that is the best match.

[Jenny81]

Is it a Chestnut-collared Longspur?

[Mexico-birding.com]

Hello.

 

To me do doubt thi is a HY Chestnut Collored Longspur

best wishes.

Eric Antonio Martinez

Mexico-birding.com

Oaxaca, Mexico. 

[Jenny81]

You know, on second thought, by range it should be a McCown's Longspur.

[JimBob]

Welcome to Whatbird! Have a few other people located in Mexico. That would be such a cool environment to bird in. 

[ColoTomo]

Unless a Chestnut-collared Longspur did its impression of a Brown-headed Cowbird and dropped an egg into the nest of another species, this was indeed a McCown's Longspur.  I never would have guessed what it was had I seen it out on its own, but it was being tended to by very obvious adult McCown's Longspurs.  It was in the middle of a flock of about a dozen of them.  For the record, we did see Chestnut-collared Longspurs several miles away from this location, but the BH Cowbird hypothesis was more of an LOL

Congratulations to Jenny81 for the right answer ! 

And also welcome to  Eric Antonio Martinez who was kind enough to "waste" his very first post on my impossible bird quiz

[Mexico-birding.com]

Dear Tom

 

Thank you so much, looking forward to see your future quiz.

 

Eric Antonio Martinez

Mexico-Birding.com

Oaxaca, Mexico.