White-crowned Sparrow (Gambel's) (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) (1)
- Reported Mar 18, 2026 15:13 by Casey Ferio
- Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings, New York
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=40.6523083,-73.9904281&ll=40.6523083,-73.9904281
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S310436197
- Media: 12 Photos
- Comments: "**rare(?) - status of this subspecies in the east unclear, but perhaps over-represented among wintering birds. Found yesterday by Michael, a bit earlier than eastern leucophrys white-crowned sparrows come through, which makes sense for a vagrant. I went back and forth on this bird based on yesterday's photos; it is a molting SY bird and as expected its facial feathers are a bit scruffy, which gave some ambiguity to the loral pattern, but in person it looked pretty classic for gambelli. The ocular stripe does not appear to continue through the eye, and notably both sides seem to match, which is helpful for ruling out intermediates/intergrades. The bill looks very small and appears to be taking on a schoolbus-yellow color, unlike the deep purplish-red of leucophrys; in addition the pale parts of the face and head are kind of an ashen-gray and the facial striping is a bit sparse. Rather stunning as an individual with its multicolored molty crown pattern and bright rufousy wing coverts. A few prior Brooklyn records exist for this subspecies including one earlier this year, but like all subspecies vagrants, detection rate is probably very low. In fact, in the wake of the january 2026 record (found by Richard Fleming and Jeff Gramm) I pulled up photos of white-crowned sparrow on ebird, sorted for Brooklyn, then sorted for the winter months, and immediately "found" a december bird from a few years ago in prospect park that was seen by a good number of people and rather well-photographed, but had escaped identification. This bird was frequenting the hedgerows immediately north/northwest of Sylvan water. Photos"
White-crowned Sparrow (Gambel's) (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) (1)
- Reported Mar 18, 2026 13:00 by MCHL ____
- Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings, New York
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=40.6523083,-73.9904281&ll=40.6523083,-73.9904281
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S310423435
- Comments: "Continuing in the hedgerows West of Sylvan Water. More images to be added."
"Lines Written in Early Spring" (excerpt)
I heard a thousand interwoven notes of birdsong while I lay in a grove, where I was enjoying the kind of mood in which happy thoughts remind you of sad ones.
Nature connected my soul to all the beautiful creatures around me—and I felt terribly sad to think about what humanity has done to itself.
poet William Wordsworth
for full poem , see link below:
https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/william-wordsworth/lines-written-in-early-spring
- Reported Mar 18, 2026 15:13 by Casey Ferio
- Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings, New York
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=40.6523083,-73.9904281&ll=40.6523083,-73.9904281
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S310436197
- Media: 12 Photos
- Comments: "**rare(?) - status of this subspecies in the east unclear, but perhaps over-represented among wintering birds. Found yesterday by Michael, a bit earlier than eastern leucophrys white-crowned sparrows come through, which makes sense for a vagrant. I went back and forth on this bird based on yesterday's photos; it is a molting SY bird and as expected its facial feathers are a bit scruffy, which gave some ambiguity to the loral pattern, but in person it looked pretty classic for gambelli. The ocular stripe does not appear to continue through the eye, and notably both sides seem to match, which is helpful for ruling out intermediates/intergrades. The bill looks very small and appears to be taking on a schoolbus-yellow color, unlike the deep purplish-red of leucophrys; in addition the pale parts of the face and head are kind of an ashen-gray and the facial striping is a bit sparse. Rather stunning as an individual with its multicolored molty crown pattern and bright rufousy wing coverts. A few prior Brooklyn records exist for this subspecies including one earlier this year, but like all subspecies vagrants, detection rate is probably very low. In fact, in the wake of the january 2026 record (found by Richard Fleming and Jeff Gramm) I pulled up photos of white-crowned sparrow on ebird, sorted for Brooklyn, then sorted for the winter months, and immediately "found" a december bird from a few years ago in prospect park that was seen by a good number of people and rather well-photographed, but had escaped identification. This bird was frequenting the hedgerows immediately north/northwest of Sylvan water. Photos"
White-crowned Sparrow (Gambel's) (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) (1)
- Reported Mar 18, 2026 13:00 by MCHL ____
- Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings, New York
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=40.6523083,-73.9904281&ll=40.6523083,-73.9904281
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S310423435
- Comments: "Continuing in the hedgerows West of Sylvan Water. More images to be added."
"Lines Written in Early Spring" (excerpt)
I heard a thousand interwoven notes of birdsong while I lay in a grove, where I was enjoying the kind of mood in which happy thoughts remind you of sad ones.
Nature connected my soul to all the beautiful creatures around me—and I felt terribly sad to think about what humanity has done to itself.
poet William Wordsworth
for full poem , see link below:
https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/william-wordsworth/lines-written-in-early-spring
