Good morning everyone!
A news note on Nelson’s Sparrows at Sandy Point. For a few years I’ve suspected that many (if not most) Nelson’s that come through Sandy Point in the fall are Interior subspecies (specifically altera, which breeds on the coast of Hudson’s Bay), though of course we also get the Atlantic Coast subspecies. Last weekend and again yesterday I managed to get some halfway decent photos to confirm my hunch. You can see them in the lists below. I wouldn’t be surprised if many other Interior birds pass through, so if you have the chance to document your Nelson’s it would be a great way to understand their fall migration routes better. Special thanks to Aidan Kiley, Julien Amsellem, and Sam Miller for workshopping these with me!
https://ebird.org/checklist/S198471197
https://ebird.org/checklist/S199439921
Bill Rankin
New Haven