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Leconte's Sparrow Breeding in Michigan and South Dakota

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Leconte's Sparrow Breeding in Michigan and South Dakota Vol.lOa7 54]I WALKINSt/AW,Leconte's S2arrow Breeding inMichigan 309 LECONTE'S SPARROW BREEDING IN MICHIGAN AND SOUTH DAKOTA BY LAWRENCE H. WAL•SHXW Plates 21, 22 LXTItXMfirst describedLeconte's Sparrow (Passerherbulus caudacutus) from the interior of Georgiain 1790 (1). On May 24, 1843, Audubon(2) collecteda specimenalong the upper Missouri,but it was nearly thirty years before another specimenwas taken (in 1872) by Dr. Linceceumin WashingtonCounty, Texas (3). The followingyear, 1873, Dr. Coues(4) took five specimenson August9, betweenthe Turtle Mountainsand the Mouseor SourisRiver in. North Dakota, and a sixth on September9, at Long CoteauRiver, North Dakota. Sincethat time many ornithologists havecovered the favoritehabitat of the species,and its breedingrange and winter distributionhave been gradually discovered. The A. O. U. Check-listof 1886gave the rangeas "From the plainseast- ward to Illinois, So. Carolina, and Florida, and from Manitoba south to Texas" (5). The 1931Check-llst (6) states:"Breeds in the Canadianand Transitionzones from Great Slave Lake, Mackenzie,southern Saskatche- wan, and Manitoba southward to North Dakota and southern Minnesota. Winters from southernKansas, southern Missouri, and westernTennessee to Texas, Florida, and the coastof South Carolina, and occasionallyto North Carolina. Casualin Ontario, Illinois and New York; accidentalin Idaho, Utah and Colorado." In Canadathe specieshas beenfound breeding in the easternpart of Alberta(7, 8, 9, 10). I foundit onJune 17, 1936,along the western shores of Buffalo Lake only a few miles from Bashawin central Alberta. On a visit to this areaon June20, an undoubtednest of the specieswas found, but heavy rains, which precededthese visits, had floodedthe entire area and destroyedall of the groundnests in the region. It hasalso been found breedingin southernSaskatchewan (8, 9, 11, 12) and southernManitoba (8, 13, 14, 15, 16). Specimenshave been taken as far asHay Riverto the northwest,on the southwesternshores of Great SlaveLake (17) and at the mouth of the AthabascaRiver in northeasternAlberta (17) and in the Battle River regionof centralAlberta (18) duringthe summermonths, whereit undoubtedlybreeds. There are two recordsfrom Ontario,north of LakeSuperior, during the summermonths (19, 20). In the UnitedStates, thespecies has been found breeding in NorthDakota (21, 22), SouthDakota (23),Minnesota (24, 25), twicein northernIllinois (26, 27) (eggs,without adultsor photographs)and now in the extremeeastern part of the Upper T•E ArK, VOL. 54 PLATE 21 LECONTE•S •PARRO• r AT THE NEST 3].0 Wxl.Kil•!snAw, Leconte's Sparrow Breeding inMichigan [•ky Peninsulaof Michigan. There is a sight recordfrom Montana (Billings) (28) but there are no summerrecords from Wisconsin(29, 30). The South Dakota breedingrecord, so far as I can find, has never been published. Among the many letters written, one reply received from ProfessorW. H. Over, of the Museum of Zoology, University of South Dakota, statedthat therewas in their collectionone set of four eggstaken in Miner County,South Dakota, June 1890 (nodate of monthon specimens), and that the card showed that the female was shot. The nest was concealed in high grasson marshy groundand was collectedby Frank A. Patton. In a more recent letter Professor Over states that Patton found another nest a few years before his death but these specimenscannot now be found. Another record from South Dakota yet without specimenswas made by Agersborgin 1883 (31). BREEDING IN MICHIGAN Becauseof its secretiveactions and unlmpresslve,insect-like song this sparrow probably has been overlookedin many regions where it may be more or less common. During May, 1934, it was found and a male and femalewere taken at MunuscongState Park in ChippewaCounty, Michigan (32). While visitingthis area in June, 1934, I found Leconte'sSparrow to be one of the commonsparrows about the drier border of the marsh. My observationsduring the few days spent there were as follows:June 8, one; June9, five; June 10, two; June 11, two; June 12, eight; June 13, five and a nest with two eggswhich probably belongedto this species,but were de- sertedby the parent beforeI could collectit; June 14, five (one male col- lected) and June 15, two; thus an averageof nearly four birds observed per day. On a visit to the regionSeptember 1 and 2, 1934,I wasunable to locate the speciesbut sincethe birds are so hard to flush it is possiblethat they were still there. On a visit to the samearea during June, 1935, I did not intend to study the Leconte'sSparrow, but rather the Yellow Rail (Coturnlcopsnovebor- acens'is)which had beenfound nesting there (Gillerr, FrancisC., June 13, 1934). After severaldays spent in extensivesearch with a dogduring which no rails wereto be foundor heard,I decidedto study Virginia Rails (Rallus limicolalimicola) and Leconte'sSparrow. My observationsof the sparrow for 1935 were as follows: June 2, one; June 3, five; June 4, four and nest with five eggs;June 5, three; June 6, ten; June 13, one;June 14, sevenand questionablenest with five eggs;June 15, eight; June 16, five; June 17, six; June 20, one; and June 21, five (onemale collected). In addition to these, I observedtwo singingmales on June 12 one hundredmiles to the west on the Seneymarshes north of Germfask, SchoolcraftCounty, while searching for a nest of the SandhillCrane (Gruscanadensis tabida). Three morebirds Vol.1937 54]J WALKINSHAW,Leconte's Sparrow Breeding in Michigan 311 werelocated at this sameplace on June 19, but I wasunable to collectany, eventhough I spenta goodmany hours in a drenchingrain pacingback and forth waiting for the spasmodic,insect-like song to aid in findingthe birds. If one were found, by the time I approachednear enough,the singerhad disappearedbeneath the rank vegetation;nor was I able later to flushthe bird. It was so cold that the birds were not singingso frequently as on ordinary daysbut only onceor twice in half an hour'stime. It seemslogi- cal that one shouldfind Leconte'sSparrow on these marshesthroughout the Upper Peninsula,where the habitat is grass-or sedge-coveredand wil- low-dotted, since it has been located in the extreme easternpart of the peninsula. Unlike the habitat of fine grassesand sedges,noted by most observers, that at 1VIunuscongBay, wherethe sparrowwas not uncommonduring the summer months, was the drier border of a rush-grownmarsh, where the mostconspicuous plant was Scirpus validus (Vahl). DuringJune, the marsh growth consistedalmost entirely of this rush; massesof old dead rushes strewedthe groundas the past seasonshad left them, with new stalkspro- truding from thesemasses. Intermixed with thesewere many little wil- lows, mostly about one or two feet in height. At Buffalo Lake, Bashaw, Alberta, a very similar rush was the dominantplant but there were no wil- lows of any size on the entire area. In small bunchesamong the Scirpus validusat 1VIunuscong,were to be found somesmall sedgesand additional plants,including Carcx prairia Dewey, Elcoc/•arispalustris (L.) R. and S., Siumcicutaefolium Schrank, Mentha arvensis L., var. canadensis(L.) Briquet, Lycopusamericanus Michl. and Asterpatens Air. in this particular border inhabitedby Leconte'sSparrow (plants analyzedat the Herbarium, Uni- versityof 1VIichigan).This area, only eight or ten yearspreviously, was coveredwith water to a depthof severalfeet. It is borderedby tall, dense grasses,which cometo a definitesharp end where probably the shoreline stood during the period of higher water. In this grass-grownarea the Short-billedMarsh Wren (Cistothorusstellaris) and the Blue-wingedTeal (Querqueduladiscors) were found nesting. Then approachingthe bay in the area of fallen dead rushes with its numerous small willows, where the Leconte'sSparrow was found, occurred also the SpottedSandpiper (Actitis macularia),Wilson's Snipe (Capelladelicata) and the SavannahSparrow (Passerculussandw•chensis savanna). The Yellow Rail (Coturnicopsnove- boracensis)was found at the extremeouter edgeof this area in 1934. To- wardthe riverthe watercovered the entirearea, gradually becoming deeper. Here were found the American Bittern (Botauruslentiginosus), Virginia Rail (Ralluslimicola limicola), Sofa ( Porzanacarolina) and the Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaiusp. phoen•ceus).Still farther out were found the Pied- billed Grebe (Podilymbusp. podiceps)and the Coot (Fulica americana). 314 WALKINSHAW,Leconte'8 Sparrow Breeding inMichigan [July[Auk The weightsof three adult Michigan specimens(Univ. of Michigan Mus. of Zool.,73733, 73734 and 84613)were respectively:- FemMe, May 12, 1934 (T. D. Hinshaw)......... 13.1 graxns Male, May 11, 1934 (R. E. Olsen)............. 12.3 grams Male, June 21, 1935 (L. H. W.) ................ 12.8 grams This givesan average12.7 grams. The only other Michiganspecimens, at that time,--male, June14, 1934(L. H. W.), Univ. of Michigan,84614, and male, July 29, 1934 (M. M. Peet), the last in Dr. Peet's collection,--were not weighed. NESTING ACTIVITIES During the many hoursspent in the blind, at no time did I observewhat I consideredthe male at the nest,whether incubating, feeding or brooding. He wasalways singing in the neighborhoodand wouldoccasionally fly over the blind, uttering a low call. The female incubated, facing either to the north or to the south, the directionin whichthe rushesextended over the nest. Sincethe markings on the back extendalong the length,this produceda closerharmony with the rushes. A few of the notes taken at the blind are as follows :- June 5, 2 p.m., enteredblind. 2.10 p.m., adult couldbe
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