Oh wow, those are really cool pictures. I have never seen a Savannah Sparrow before. I'm glad you had a camera ready. The second picture makes them look much longer legged than a Song Sparrow. Fascinating to see. Thanks for posting those.

kendra2 - That area is right outside the window where I sit at my computer so I can easily see if anything interesting is outside. I actually was waiting for the sunlight to hit there, hoping to get a nice shot of juncos in the snow so my camera was at my side. There's a flock of 10 to 15 juncos that eat nyjer seed there every day and my first thought was disappointment that it was Song Sparrows and not juncos.

Luckily the "Song Sparrows" didn't look quite right and I paid more attention.

Claire

Wow Claire. That is really cool. Good for you, noticing the subtle differences. I am in the wintering range also, but I have never seen one here. I see what you mean about the pink legs. My book also shows a little yellow eyebrow on the Savannah. Did you notice that on yours at all?~~Angie

Angie: I didn't really see much yellow near the eyes but my local bird guru from the Manomet Center said that the yellow lores are often indistinct and that the plumage varies greatly between individuals. He also saw a Savannah Sparrow yesterday in Manomet, about 6 or 7 miles north of me.

They were here again today although the sun wasn't.

Here are the two Savannah Sparrows with a White-throated Sparrow and a bunch of Dark-eyed Juncos. I'm hoping they stay around for my next Project FeederWatch count which starts on Monday.

That nyjer seed path really attracts sparrows (and turkeys). I saw an American Tree Sparrow there this morning also. I started broadcasting the nyjer because I have a few hanging nyjer feeders there for the goldfinches and I noticed mobs of small birds underneath the hangers.

Claire

Wow. Look how small they are in comparison to the White Throated Sparrow! Kind of the size of Chippers I suppose?

I don't see Chipping Sparrows often, but my references say they're about the same size as the Savannahs, with Song Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows being bigger. Kind of makes the White-throat look like a big hulking bird (until a turkey comes along).

Claire

Am loving the idea that these Savannah's are so far out of their range. That yellow lore in the first photo is a dead giveaway for me.

Apparently there's a subspecies of the Savannah Sparrow, the "Ipswich" Savannah Sparrow, that breeds in Nova Scotia and winters along the New England coast. It was named "Ipswich" because it was first seen in winter in the dunes of Ipswich, MA.

The photos I've seen show a slightly grayer bird than the ones in my yard, but I've gotten positive ID's from both the Manomet Center and Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Project FeederWatch). PFW said that it's a little unusual to see them in MA in the winter but they don't consider it a rare sighting.

One of them is still around almost every day, maybe waiting for the snow to clear from the beach grass.

Claire

So cool you have them! Savannahs winter in my area of Kentucky (where I formerly lived) and their plumage certainly did vary.

We are seeing one for the last several days in S.E. Ohio. This is also out of their winter range. I had one confirmed sighting last year as well.......but I'm having a heck of a time getting a photograph of it because it is so shy.