Late winter Song Sparrow – Nikon D500, tripod mounted, f10, 1/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
When I photographed this Song Sparrow close to home two days ago it perched out in the open for almost a minute on the cool, late winter morning. The sun was shining brightly and this sparrow would have been hard for me to ignore. Why? Because I love sparrows.
Okay, okay. I love all birds and can’t resist photographing them but these little brown jobs are wonderful in every way.
Song Sparrows are named well. Some birds have names that make me wonder what the person who named them was thinking when they named them. For instance, Ring-necked Ducks do have a ring on their necks that isn’t usually visible but the ring on their bill always is. In my opinion they should have been named Ring-billed Ducks.
Song Sparrows sing. They sing a lot. They sing with gusto and I love hearing them. Both the common and scientific name for these sparrows suit them well because they both indicate that this species sings. The scientific name is Melospiza melodia and the melodia part is for melody. These sparrows are songsters that may have a repertoire with as many as twenty tunes and many variations of those tunes.
This particular Song Sparrow didn’t’ sing while I photographed it perching on some rushes at the edge of a pond. I was okay with that. I simply enjoyed having the sparrow in my viewfinder.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Song Sparrow photos plus facts and information about this species.
Wow! What an exquisite, beautiful, pic! It has everything – incredible detail, balance and color, set against a perfect background. Wow…again! Thanks Mia.
Beautiful photo, I love the song sparrows in my yard. They are singing full hilt.
I adore sparrows and am very, very sad that the numbers are declining here. Dramatically.
Lovely picture of the Song Sparrow. Hope to see them in my area soon. I love to hear them all summer long in my yard. I feed black oil sunflower seeds all year round in my feeder.
Many thanks for lovely photo—and bird! Like you I’ve wondered that Ring-necked Ducks aren’t called Ring-billed. Similarly puzzled that a duck as colorful as the Wood Duck has such a plain name.
Great Shot Mia.
Saw my first returning Song Sparrow this week.
Very nice detailed photo of the Song Sparrow. We did not have them in south Florida and they were quite rare in our mountain home in New Mexico, but I have them now at our feeders in Connecticut.