Update

After my summer class today I visited Sand Prairie Conservation Area.  My main goal was to check on nest #5, which I had discovered May 30 in an open area in the southeast corner of the reserve.  It was located beneath a splitbeard bluestem (Andropogon ternarius), one of two plant species the sparrows seem to favor.  It still had two eggs in the nest, half the average clutch size of 4 and unchanged from when I visited it a week earlier.  According to Baepler's (1968) study in Oklahoma, females were hesitant to leave the nest when incubating, loyal to the point that he could grab one with his hand.  It seems odd to me that I have only seen two birds incubating during my countless visits to the prairie, and both times they flew away from the nest.  There were four lark sparrows near nest #5 which indicates a possible second nest.  The two pairs did not appear to be antagonistic.

Nest #1 is most certainly abandoned.  The eggs were laid over three weeks ago and are now completely covered in sand.  On Jun. 8 I intend to observe the dunes from a distance for parental activity.  Considering my current luck with eggs, I am hoping for a nest with chicks.