passerculus (little sparrow) sandwichensis (of Sandwich, Unalaska, in the Aleutians)
Thursday, April 17, 1980 — 4:45 pm
Deerfield, Illinois
On a college campus was an overgrown garden where the married students grew vegetables in the summer. I spotted several sparrows feeding in among the weeds and dried vegetable plants. I chased them back and forth for a long time, trying to see the field marks. Whenever I flushed one, it would fly a short distance and land, usually out of sight on the ground, but occasionally in one of the tiny trees in the area. Since I had time, I continued chasing them until I saw all the marks, including the notched tail.