Additionally, Seaside Sparrows sing from exposed perches such as tall cattail stems and tall or isolated marsh-elder bushes. Sharp-tailed Sparrows do not often use conspicuous perches for singing. They sing while on the ground or when in flight. They do use exposed perches as observation posts and occasionally sing from them.
Seaside Sparrows often face their nearest neighbor when singing and alternate songs with this bird. The one time Sharp-tailed Sparrows almost always sing is when they are involved in fighting. In such a case the several birds sing simultaneously.
Seaside Sparrows began singing the morning after their nocturnal arrival. For resident birds, singing is at its maximum at this time and is maintained at a high level throughout incubation. At hatching of the eggs, singing declines sharply; males then are busy aiding in care of the young. Males that have successfully reared a brood rarely sing after the young leave the nest.
Sharp-tailed Sparrows sang infrequently when they first arrived, and singing did not reach its peak until late May. By August singing had almost ceased in this species.
Song of the Seaside Sparrow functions importantly in the establishment and maintenance of its territory. Newly-arrived males sing vigorously. In the Sharp-tailed Sparrow I think song is merely an expression of sexual excitement because song does not reach maximum frequency until the females arrive and become receptive to the males.
Differences in song correspond to differences in territorial behavior. The distinct, loud song, sung often and from exposed perches, which is frequently alternated with that of the nearest competitor, is given by the Seaside Sparrow, a territorial species. The indistinct, quiet song, sung infrequently and often from unexposed places belongs to the Sharp-tailed Sparrow, a non-territorial species.
Calls
Seaside Sparrows give a soft, lisping call note, probably the one referred to by Saunders as a squeaky tseep (1951:258), that functions as a social call. When migrants were numerous on the marshes at Chadwick I heard this note often. At Lavallette I did not hear it until June 30 (work began there on June 16) and then it was from an unbanded, non-resident bird. In late July and in August the number of non-resident sparrows increased and the social call was heard often. I never heard a resident bird give this call. On December 29, 1955, on a marsh at the mouth of the Manasquan River on the Monmouth-Ocean County line, a group of wintering Seaside Sparrows frequently used this call. I do not know whether the Sharp-tailed Sparrow has a comparable call.
Both species emit alarm notes. Although variable, the Seaside Sparrow has two general types. One, recorded by me as a short chip or tick was given by both sexes whenever I was near a nest. The other type, a high, sharp tsip, is indicative of a higher degree of excitement. When I captured young already out of the nest, or when I investigated nests containing young old enough to depart, the adults gave this call. The tail is jerked downward each time this note is given.