I notice the most recent report of the Harris's sparrow at
Pickerington Ponds came from Monday, and there may be more.
This lengthy stay, continued since New Year's Day, is a local record as
far as I know, and if there is a longer one elsewhere in the state, I'd
love to hear about it. Certainly the careful attentions of the Metro
Parks staff to keep its favorite feeders filled has helped a lot.
        There are at least 15 records for Franklin County, including the
state's first, a bird collected from a flock of five or six
found two miles north of Columbus on 4/28/1889. A few may show up in
fall, and more numerous later records extend into late May; one was
present near Greenlawn Dam on 5/6 in 1995 in full breeding array.
        Only two sparrows among the forty-some on the US list nest entirely
outside the Lower 48; this, and the American Tree Sparrow, breed very
far north. Harris's winters mostly in the central states, and seldom
gets this far east. It will be interesting to see how long its pampered
treatment will keep it with us this year.
Bill Whan

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