Skulky grey bird, Florida (1 Viewer)

While traversing some pinewood savannah earlier today I flushed a little grey bird from a bush about 2 feet away. This bird barely flew any distance before landing in cover again, and it was completely silent. Despite it being so close when I flushed it I couldn't even hear wing beats.

I managed to kick up this bird only two more times before I lost it. Each time it would just pick up from cover, flit a short distance, and land in cover again. The behaviour seems akin to some of the more skulky sparrows. Given the habitat, and that this bird was distinctly grey, I suppose Bachman's sparrow is the only possibility?

My family also reported seeing a grey bird exhibiting identical behaviour elsewhere at the site, so it seems not to be a one-off bird.

Does this sound like Bachman's sparrow to anyone else? Or is there another skulky grey bird that is similar? I would have expected to see some brown if it was Bachman's, but I do see some greyish examples of the species online.

I attach a spontaneous camera click on the second flush. I doubt it is of any use but it confirms it was grey. Heavily cropped, but all my photos come out crap anyway so details not needed

Actually in America, it's a skulky GRAY bird.

AlexC said:

Actually in America, it's a skulky GRAY bird.

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That would explain why I can't work out what it is!

Surely someone here has enough experience with Bachman's (i.e. anything but a singing bird) to comment, if not advise what other small grey skulky birds might fit the description?

Unidentified Flitting Object

Nutcracker said:

Unidentified Flitting Object

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Not Nutcracker's Sparrow?

It seems I will have to make my own call on these birds then!

You can kick up a number of species in long leaf pine grasslands that pop up and quickly dive back into cover. Bachman's Sparrow is a good possibilitye. Most similar to Bachman's would be Swamp Sparrow. Grasshopper and Henslows sparrows are usually more brightly colored on the back. House and Sedge Wrens are smaller and noticeably short-tailed. I can't tell much from that photo.

Andy

Looks good for Bachmans's to me and similar to my experience with the species in winter.

cheers, alan

Kratter said:

You can kick up a number of species in long leaf pine grasslands that pop up and quickly dive back into cover. Bachman's Sparrow is a good possibilitye. Most similar to Bachman's would be Swamp Sparrow. Grasshopper and Henslows sparrows are usually more brightly colored on the back. House and Sedge Wrens are smaller and noticeably short-tailed. I can't tell much from that photo.

Andy

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Andy,
I think that covers the options quite well.

My thoughts on these birds:

Sparrows: I'm quite sure it wasn't either of these spp. These birds are all very brown in colour and I've seen swamp recently albeit briefly. The brown colour was quite clear even in the shadows.

Wrens: wrong colour as well. I find both wrens are distinctly brownish (and short tailed as you mention) even in the most brief of views.

All the photo was meant to do was to show the colour rather than markings. I think we can exclude at least most of the above birds from what little the photo shows.


All in all an interesting topic, my main concern is that it was too grey for Bachman's but it seems they can be quite grey for instance:

http://www.birdspix.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Bachmans-Sparrow-8894-cr.jpg

and

http://stlucieaudubon.org/images/BirdPhotos/BachmansSparrow.jpg