Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus)

Vesper Sparrow [dorsal view of adult]. Photograph Credit: Roseanna M. Denton; Clifty Pond, Pulaski County, Kentucky; 20 April 2007.

 —

Abundance: Uncommon during spring and fall; Very Uncommon during winter, but records increasing at that season; recorded in 17 Regional counties, 5 in Kentucky and 12 in Tennessee (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring effort are too few to supply a trend for either the migratory or, especially, the small wintering population (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Transient during spring and fall; Visitor during winter (16 records) but perhaps trending toward becoming a Winter Resident (see Remarks below); photograph (see link below).

Regional High Count: 40 (28 March 1981; Pulaski County, Kentucky; Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1981c; Palmer-Ball 2003); CBC/CBB High Count: 4 (1 January 1979; Barren County, Kentucky [Glasgow CBC]; observer[s] unknown); SBC/SBB High Count: 2 (3 dates; Putnam County, Tennessee; observer[s] unknown); FBC/FBB High Count: no data.

Out-of-Season (Winter) Records:

23 February 1891 (number not given) Pulaski County, Kentucky (Mengel 1965 [citing Cooke]; Palmer-Ball 2003).

30 December 1956 (1) Barren County, Kentucky (observer unknown), a CBC record.

December 1960 (1) Barren County, Kentucky (observer unknown), a CBC (count week) record.

1 January 1979 (4) Barren County, Kentucky (observer unknown), a CBC record.

3 January 1991 (1) 5 km north of Buffalo Valley exit 268 (I-40) on Rt. 96, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman), a Winter Roadside Survey record.

29 December 1994 (1) Warren County, Tennessee (Susan N. McWhirter; Witt 1995b).

6 January/12 February 1999 (1) Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo; Palmer-Ball 2003).

15 December 2000 (1) north-central Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Ginger K. Ensor), a CBC (count week) record.

22 December 2001 (1) Warren County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman), a CBC record.

14 December 2002 (2) Wayne County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Busroe 2003b), a CBC record.

1 January 2008 (1) McCreary County Airport, McCreary County, Kentucky (Lynda M. Mills, Thomas B. Mills; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2008b), a CBC record.

22 December 2008/11 January 2009 (3) Mason Grissom Rd., Warren County, Tennessee (Susan N. McWhirter; Casteel 2009b).

5 December 2009–28 February 2010 (1–3) Mason Grissom Rd., Warren County, Tennessee (Susan N. McWhirter), overwintering indicated.

7 December 2010/6 January 2011/6 & 17 February 2011 (1) Mason Grissom Rd., Warren County, Tennessee (Susan N. McWhirter).

28 December 2010 (1) White County, Tennessee (Scott G. Somershoe, Douglas A. Downs photo), a CBC record.

20 January/7 February 2012 (1/2) Mason Grissmon Rd., Warren County, Tennessee (Susan N. McWhirter, N. P. "Mac" McWhirter), a sighting 10 March 2012 by the same observers at this site indicated probable overwintering, a rarely documented behavior in the Region.

Regional Extreme Dates (given as for Winter Residents):

    Early Fall: 7 October 2002 (Pulaski County, Kentucky; Roseanna M. Denton).

    Late Spring: 8 May 2010 (Putnam County, Tennessee; Barbara H. Stedman, Janie C. Finch, Brenda Curtis).

    Note: Generally present from 20 March to 15 April during spring and from 20 October to 10 November during fall.  The Regional dates of earliest reported spring arrival and latest reported spring departure, as well as earliest reported fall arrival and latest reported fall departure, for the spring and fall migration seasons 2002–2011 follow:

* But see also Out-of-Season (Winter) Records (above).

Habitat: Short-grass fields or patches, including those next to the sides of little traveled roads; sometimes associates with Savannah Sparrows at such sites during migration.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 1 (of 125) monthly check-list during 2003 and on 5 (of 206) check-lists during 2004, leading to a YardWatch frequency classification of Rare each year; this YardWatch frequency classification indicates that the Vesper Sparrow is less likely to be encountered in Regional yards and neighborhoods than in the Region as a whole.

Remarks: This sparrow's wintering status may eventually be tied to climate change; if that meteorological event is happening, then Vesper Sparrow sightings (and those for a few other formerly rare wintering species [e.g., Chipping Sparow and Pine Warbler]) should increase during future winters, perhaps to the point where it can be vouchsafed to be a Winter Resident of the Region.

    The High Count listed above was also the high count for Kentucky as of 2003 (Palmer-Ball 2003).

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited