We were kidding around the other day about being alert for a Cassin's sparrow while we were atlasing over the weekend. This grassland species, for whatever reason, has made numerous unprecedented visits, with more than one bird at once at times, in the east ( North Carolina, Massachusetts) this season. Under normal circumstances, it doesn't come any closer than mid-Texas to us, and it isn't a bird that stands out, but its song is distinctive (many examples at http://blb.biosci.ohio-state.edu/ShortData.asp ). Doug, who knows the song, apparently recognized one that didn't make it all the way out to the coast before being stopped by the Atlantic Ocean. If you're looking for rarities, it's well worth learning this song for birding this summer. Bill Whan Columbus On 6/12/2011 1:42 PM, Doug Overacker wrote: > I was atlasing in Shelby County this morning and was just heading home from > Lockington Preserve when I heard what sounded like a Cassin's Sparrow. It > was in the field east of the intersection of Kaser and Lindsey Roads about a > mile east of Lockington Preserve. I heard it sing very clearly and close > once. After getting out of the car to listen I heard the bird again 3 or 4 > times but it was more distant. I am familiar with the song from trips out > west. I also heard Grasshopper, Savannah, and Vesper Sparrows in the field. > I never got to see the bird. > > Doug Overacker > Springfield, Ohio ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]