Bird #241 — Bachman’s Sparrow

aimophila (from haima, blood-colored and philos, loving) aestivalis (summer)

Tuesday, May 3, 1983 — 3:00 pm

Conway, Arkansas — Happy Valley

I wandered up the hill to do some exploring.  I eventually found myself in a power-line clearing that ran across the top of the ridge.  The area was covered with tall grass, brambles, and scattered bushes. I saw the Bachman’s Sparrow singing in a low brier bush in the center of the clearing.  Its song was a beautiful, clear whistle followed by a trill on a different pitch, somewhat like a Hermit Thrush.

A few days later, I was wandering in the same area when I flushed a Bachman’s Sparrow from the ground.  I looked where it had flushed from and found a nest.  It was a brush-covered “oven” on the ground in tall, thick grass.  The opening was very well hidden and hard to find.  There were two or three eggs inside.

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