Rare Bird Sighting for Elgin

In December 2005, Bob Hubert sighted a bird at Hawk Cliff, and after eliminating all other possibilities concluded it could be an Ipswich Sparrow. Because the bird was so far from the range of the Ipswich Sparrow Bob hesitated to identify it as such.

The bird remained at the Hawk Cliff banding station feeder for more than a week, with its favourite perch being the cage, enabling Bob to call on Sheila Fowler for help in identifying the bird. After comparing all of the sparrows in her bird book, Sheila too concluded it could be an Ipswich Sparrow, and like Bob, Sheila could not believe the identification. A big factor in the identification was the light colouring of the bird that no other sparrow has.

Bob Hubert asked Marshal Field for help, in identifying the bird, and after studying it, and checking his bird book, Marshall turned to Bob and said “I think it is an Ipswich Sparrow”.

Even so the trio was reluctant to identify it as an Ipswich Sparrow and Bob recorded it as a Savannah Sparrow.

Bob was able to get several photographs of the bird, which he sent to the ornithologist for identification, and in Ontario Birds August 2007, the following report appeared.

“Ipswich” Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis princeps (1)
2005 one, first basic, 17-27 December, Port Stanley, Elgin (Robert A. Hubert; 06-090) - photos on file.
This is the first record of an Ipswich Savannah Sparrow from Ontario, and the farthest inland from the Atlantic coast. Previous to this, the farthest inland record had been from Quebec City, Quebec. (Bannon et al. 2003a, 2003b). Ian McLaren (pers comm. to Ronald J. Pittaway), an expert on this subspecies, examined the photographs, and corroborated the identification and age of this bird.

Special thanks to Dave Martin for his correspondence with Ontario Birds.

Congratulations to Bob Hubert on making such a significant sighting, and adding another species to bird sightings for Elgin County and the Province of Ontario.