'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020
'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020
'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow (right center) with Song Sparrow and typical Savannah Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020
During my travels this morning after getting out of work I found an 'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrowalong Aqua Vitae Road in Hadley, which is a subspecies that is rarely found inland with just a handful of records (I have had just one previously in the county back in January of 2016 in the East Meadows). I decided to stop by Aqua Vitae Road to check for some White crowned Sparrows that have been hanging out in the area. The first bird I took a look at turned out to be a White crowned Sparrow (more on that below). After getting a few photos of the White crowned Sparrow I noticed a Lincoln's Sparrow and then a very light looking sparrow that almost glowed in the early morning light. This bird turned out to be the 'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow and I immediately got a few photos for documentation. The bird then showed on and off the remainder of the time I was there and was usually in the company of typical Savannah Sparrows offering a nice comparison of the size and coloration differences.. 'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrows is a very unique subspecies of Savannah Sparrow (and was once considered a distinct species) that breeds on Sable Island and winters on the immediate Atlantic coast and is seldom found elsewhere. Sable Island is a small island over a hundred miles from Nova Scotia out in the Atlantic and renowned for being the graveyard for many ships over the years. If anyone goes looking for the bird remember that all the land in the area is private and you can only bird from the road and should not park in a way that blocks access for anyone to their property or anyone else using the road...in other words don't be an ass.
White crowned Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020
Lincoln's Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020
Savannah Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020
Song Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020
Swamp Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020
American Tree Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020
Dark eyed Junco, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020
In addition the the 'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow there were a number of other unusual sparrows around plus decent numbers of more common sparrow species. One of the more unusual was a Lincoln's Sparrow that popped up briefly and then was not seen again. I also found at least four White crowned Sparrows all of which were juveniles plus at least three Swamp Sparrows. Other sparrows around included American Tree Sparrows, White throated Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows (of the typical subspecies seen around here) and Song Sparrows plus Dark eyed Juncos. I also thought I heard a Common Yellowthroat call but I heard it just once and was never able to get a visual so can't be certain of it.
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