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Lincoln's Sparrow

Status Uncommon in summer. Breeds. It arrives generally by mid-May (average 14 May, earliest 27 April). Two on Brier Island on 22 April 1973 (W.P. Neily) were well ahead of schedule. In summer it is fairly common in Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough counties and on Cape Breton Island, but elsewhere uncommon to rare. It is most often encountered in fall migration, with movements of from a few to 50 or more recorded for late September and the first half of October. Latest sightings are normally in October or November (average 24 October, latest 1 December). Two were found in late December 1957 on Bon Portage Island, and other individuals have turned up on the Pictou Christmas Bird Count on 28 December 1967 and on Halifax East counts on 15 December 1979 and 19 December 1981; one was seen at Economy, Colchester County, on 13-14 December 1981.

Description Length: 13.5-15 cm. Adults: Crown brown with gray median line; eye stripe and area behind ear also gray; rest of upperparts crown to tail, buffy olive, streaked with black; tail feathers narrow and somewhat pointed; wing mainly rusty brown; underparts mainly white, breast and sides finely streaked with black; broad band of buff across breast and down sides; buff stripes on sides of throat.

Breeding Nest: On the ground, well concealed, usually in wet, bushy pasture land. Eggs: 4-5; pale green or buff, sometimes almost white, thickly spotted with reddish brown and lavender. Austin W. Cameron discovered a nest on 29 June 1970 at South Lake Ainslie, Inverness County. It was well concealed in debris from felled trees on a steep hillside immediately above a wooded marshy area. The bird did not flush until underfoot; when flushed it was nervous and evasive but stayed nearby chipping excitedly. Another, presumably the mate, was singing close by. The nest contained three young, recently hatched. A nest discovered at Whycocomagh, Inverness County, on 3 July 1965 by S.D. Whitman, contained four young only a few days old (Maritime Nest Records Scheme). On 22 June 1949 at Harrigan Cove, Halifax County (near the border of Guysborough County), George Boyer saw a bird carrying food. Look for the nest in wet swales wherever males are regularly heard singing in June.

Range Breeds from Alaska, northern Manitoba, central Quebec, and Newfoundland, south to Nova Scotia, northern New York State, northern Minnesota, and California. Winters from the southern United States to Guatemala.

Remarks Lincoln's Sparrow is known to few beginning bird students, even those from areas where the bird nests and occurs commonly. There are perhaps two reasons for this: First, it resembles several other members of its drab-coloured subfamily, and thus is readily overlooked in the field. Second, it is shy and elusive by nature, adept in the art of keeping out of sight. When the open, wet bogs studded with dwarfed spruces and alders it favours for nesting grounds are invaded, it usually stops singing as a precautionary measure, and from then on its presence is known only by glimpses gained of a nervous, furtive little bird, constantly chipping in an almost frenzied manner as it flits about, rarely still for a second.

It has a delightful song but, in order to hear it, one must wait patiently, quiet and out of sight. Even if heard once, it may take some time before the listener is rewarded with a repetition of the song, for its normal singing pattern is irregular and spasmodic.

It mixes with other sparrows during fall migrations and is readily overlooked.

Its buffy brown breast band, fine breast stripes and grayish brown face are marks to distinguish it from other sparrows. Song and Swamp Sparrows in juvenile plumages also have buffy suffusions across the breast but are darker overall than young Lincoln's Sparrows.