Another state bird for the list- Le Conte's Sparrow by Drew Weber

: Image via Wikipedia

Stopped at the Darlington Tract in Delaware County today to look for the Le Conte’s Sparrow that has been seen in the area. I was lucky as I walked out and saw the bird almost immediately, although it was skittish and I only got to see it for a short time before it disappeared. I didn’t have my digiscoping equipment with me so I didn’t get any pictures but you can find some nice ones of the same bird on flickr and HowardsView.com.

Le Conte’s Sparrow belongs to the same group as our Henslow’s and Grasshopper Sparrows which can be found in parts of the state.

Le Conte’s Sparrow is an excellent find in Pennsylvania any time of the year because it neither breeds nor winters near us. In fact, its migration path is significantly west of us on the central plains. This bird has withstood several good snow/ice storms so far so hopefully it will make it thru the whole winter. If you haven’t made it out to see this bird yet, I would recommend trying for it because it seems pretty reliable.