Cassin's Sparrow

Status One record. A bird found on Seal Island on 18-20 May 1974 by Sylvia Fullerton, Barbara Hinds and Bruce Mactavish, was amply photographed by Sylvia Fullerton for a unique Nova Scotia record.

Remarks This drab sparrow from the southwestern United States was the second of its kind to visit Canada, one having appeared at Point Pelee, Ontario, two years earlier. It is a rather large sparrow, grayish, with spots and crescentic marks, rather than streaks, on its back and rump, and with diagnostic barring on the central tail feathers and white tips on the outer tail feathers.