Search For Nelson's Sparrow - 18 Oct 2026

Having just photographed a Purple Finch in the yard I was getting ready to post an announcement to Discord when I saw a report that Justin Labadie and Bobbie Irwin found a Nelson's Sparrow at Lake Erie Metropark shortly before lunch. I was just there and missed the report!

I grabbed the gear and headed back to Lake Erie Metropark. Parking at the Boat Launch I saw Justin and got an update on where to look for it. It was seen along the SE shoreline of the marsh just west of the Boat Launch parking lot and just east of the Marshland Museum parking lot. I grabbed the scope and headed to the spot where I thought it was seen. 

Luckily, I ran into Amber and Greg Piotter and they directed me to the spot where the Nelson's Sparrow was seen. Standing on the road at the south end of marsh we directed our scopes to the SE corner and E shoreline where the mud met cattails. We'd scan the area for a good 30 minutes without seeing anything.

I then spotted a tiny bird at the base of the mudflats and thought I had found our bird. I quickly let Greg and Amber get looks through the scope at 60X magnification. But, closer looks revealed that it was not our NESP but a Wilson's Snipe. We were initially unsure as it had its head turned and was only showing belly, so thoughts of snipe, Sora and even Yellow Rail danced in our heads. 

It then turned its head and I was able to see the bill and verify ID. 

We'd dip on the Nelson's Sparrow and I would head home at 3 pm after grabbing a quick photo of a Rusty Blackbird overhead.