Wednesday, October 7 We went to the middle pond in Big Island Wildlife Area off Larue-Prospect Rd in Marion County this morning where white-rumped sandpipers were seen and reported yesterday. Shorebirds were scarce (one pectoral sandpiper and quite a few yellowlegs and killdeers but nothing else). On our way back to the car we spotted an unusual sparrow perched with its back to us. It stayed put and we were able to narrow the possibilities to a Nelson's sharp-tailed or LeConte's. It had the characteristic orangey face and throat with gray cheek patch and brightly patterned back with very bright white streaks. Its head stripe appeared to be dark (we saw no white) which would suggest Nelson's rather than LeConte's. Also after it left its initial perch it would go into the grass and then perch on ahead--cooperative (for birders) behavior that would seem unlikely in a LeConte's. So we are calling it a Nelson's. The ID puzzle is its breast. We only got one very brief look at its breast when it turned around and faced us before flying on and we had the impression of an all buffy breast (like a juvenile Nelson's) rather than an orangey throat above a white belly. But juveniles apparently don't have the white stripes on the back and this bird had very bright white stripes like an adult Nelson's. Our impression of breast coloring could have been a trick of the light or perhaps it was a juvenile in transition to adult plumage. In any event we are hoping someone else goes looking for this bird soon and helps with ID if it is seen. Nancy Rudd and Bob Gold ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]