It turned out to be a decent morning with 28 new birds and 3 recaptures of 13 different species. We banded two more new species for the 2012 fall season: House Finches and CLAY-COLORED SPARROW. The Clay-colored Sparrow was an unexpected surprise! Although, they are seen occasionally on Kiawah (maybe once every fall), it was really cool to see one up close. This bird kind of threw me for a few minutes. I knew right away it was from the genus Spizella based on the size and shape of the bill but I wasn't 100% sure of the species. It took a couple of measurements, consulting a field guide, and looking at the picture of the Clay-colored Sparrow that Lex Glover banded near Columbia, SC a few weeks ago before I was confident of the species.
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| Clay-colored Sparrow (hatch-year, sex unknown) |
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| Clay-colored Sparrow |
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| Clay-colored Sparrow |
I couldn't resist adding the following photo of a very photogenic Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. The second photo is an excellent example of a molt limit in the greater coverts of this hatch-year bird.
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| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (hatch-year, sex unknown) |
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| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (hatch-year: molt limit in greater coverts) |
