Fox Sparrow?

[BetCrooks]

I thought this was a Fox Sparrow, but eBird tells me it's "rare" for Mississauga this week.

Can someone confirm if it's a Fox or something else? Thanks.

[attachment=0:h1vwh23c]ProbableFoxSparrow.jpg[/attachment:h1vwh23c]

[beresford]

Rare or not it's a fox sparrow.

Nice find!

Tim

[BetCrooks]

Thanks, Tim!

I think eBird may be a bit confused. It also says Turkey Vultures are 'rare' in Mississauga at this time of year. They may need to update their algorithm for southern Ontario.

[lovemypt]

I think their "rare" should be more for spring & summer.....Fox sparrows are quite common in Mississauga, although only for a short period in fall

[Reuven_M]

As the reviewer for Peel Region I have control over the filters determining when a species is "rare". I agree that the cut-off was a little early for Fox Sparrow and have extended it by a few days. On the other hand, Turkey Vulture is a very uncommon bird this late in the fall, which is why it is triggered by eBird. The filters are deliberately set somewhat conservatively to avoid bad records slipping through. Regular eBird users will regularly have to confirm "rare" birds that aren't actually all that rare.

If anyone feels that there are any other problems with the filters (species being marked as rare that shouldn't be or vice versa) for Peel Region, please let me know.

[cairnstone]

I think the filters work great. Obviously, if consistent reports are submitted the filters will eventually be adjusted. I still have a lingering Fox Sparrow myself and intend to report it when I am sure it's gone rather than report it each day.

[John]

Nothing wrong with reporting it each day.   The more information, the better.

[BetCrooks]

Thanks for the info, Reuven. I had no idea that the limits were being manually adjusted. It's good to know there are real birders behind the program!