On Sat, May 5, 2012 at 10:06 AM, Lila Ollmann <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Yesterday I think I had either a Lincoln's sparrow or Swamp Sparrow at the end of my yard, near blackberry brambles and a wet(landish) area behind it. I have never seen a Swamp Sparrow to my knowledge, and I've only gotten fleeting glimpses of Lincoln's sparrows which were pointed out to me on bird walks. The things that stood out through my binoculars were a distinct Buffy/tan Malar stripe, light gray belly, not sure whether there were stripes on the chest or not. It seemed a bit nervous once it saw me, and kept its crown and tail raised. I am not sure whether the crown was rusty or not! I had seen a similar bird behind my house in some brush under an old broken apple tree, and also thought of LIncoln's because of its quick sort of nervous manner.. I'm used to everything turning out eventually to be a song sparrow, but these birds seemed shorter in length and a little smaller. Is there anything in my description that would be telling one way or the other? (raised crown and tail?)