Nelson's sparrow is a small American sparrow. This bird was named after Edward William Nelson, an American naturalist. Formerly, this bird and the saltmarsh sparrow were considered to be a single species, the sharp-tailed sparrow; because of this it was briefly known as Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow.
Adults have brownish upperparts with gray on the crown and nape, a cream-colored breast with light or indistinct streaking and a white throat and belly; they have an orange face with gray.. more
Similar species: Perching Birds
By Thibaud Aronson
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Uploaded Jul 20, 2018. Captured Jul 15, 2018 12:09 in 2000 Sand Cove Rd, Saint John, NB E2M, Canada.
comments (4)
While I was in Maine, I popped over the border for a brief foray into Canada, which was a new country for me! A highlight was a visit to the Irving Nature Park, and since this sparrow was a lifer for me, that trip will always stick in my memory (for other reasons too, of course, I may be a birder, but I'm not completely monomaniacal!)
This is not the typical photo of this species, which usually skulks through the grass of meadows and salmarshes, like a feathered mouse. But I was walking through the woods on the edge of the saltmarsh, and got to an opening with a good view over the estuary. I played a snippet of song, and almost immediately two birds popped into view and flew into the dead tree right next to me, where they checked me out for several minutes, allowing me excellent views! Posted 7 years ago, modified 7 years ago