Adult Song Sparrow with prey for its young – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Three days ago I found an adult Song Sparrow to photograph with its bill full of prey that the sparrow had gathered to feed its young. The sparrow didn’t stick around but was in my viewfinder long enough for me to take a short series of images of it with the exposed rocks of a canyon wall in the Wasatch Mountains behind it.
With Song Sparrows the females do all of the incubation and brooding but the males remain nearby and when the chicks hatch the males help to feed them. Typically the young of Song Sparrows are only 10 days old when they fledge and leave the nest and they are flying by 16 to 17 days old. That seems super fast to me!
Song Sparrow with prey for its chicks – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I did not hear or see chicks while I photographed this adult but there were plenty of shrubs and tall grass clumps nearby that might have concealed the nest and the young from my view.
When I viewed the Song Sparrow images at full resolution it appeared to me that most of the prey in the bill of this adult was an assortment of adult mayflies so the sparrow may have been foraging near the creek that was below where I photographed it. After some research online I think the mayflies might be Speckled Duns but I can’t be certain about that. Mayflies spend most of their lives in the water and only live one day as adults during which time they mate and lay eggs. Mayfly hatches are fascinating to see but if a person doesn’t like insects the clouds of mayflies might creep them out.
Very soon I should be able to find and photograph young Song Sparrows in the Wasatch Mountains and I’m very much looking forward to that.
Life is good. Stay safe.
And Happy Father’s Day to all the excellent fathers in my life and around the globe!
Mia
Click here to see more of my Song Sparrow photos plus facts and information about this species.
Once again you’ve captured some amazing shots. The detail in these pics [especially around the Sparrows eye ]…is extraordinary. Thanks Mia.
How lovely. A big hooray for involved fathers too – whatevery the species.
Wonderful to see a dedicated bird father on this Fathers’ Day. 🙂 The composition of your second shot is just lovely with the two branches, the bokeh, and his pose. I will certainly take the Mayflies over no-see-ums any day!
Nice pictures and it is amazing how fast the young birds grow and fledge the nest.