Autumn Swamp Sparrow at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge – Canon R7, handheld, f11, 1/1000, ISO 2000, +1.0 EV, Canon RF 800mm, natural light
Yesterday while at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, I was tickled to take photos of a Swamp Sparrow perched on a Smooth Sumac branch in early morning light.
Swamp Sparrows don’t breed in Oklahoma. They spend time in east central Oklahoma during their nonbreeding season from October through April, which allows me to see, hear, and photograph them.
Before this Swamp Sparrow came into view, I could see several of them moving around in the brush I had parked close to.
The last time I was at the refuge, I spotted Swamp, White-throated, White-crowned, and Lincoln’s Sparrows in the brush and sumacs near a field. My plan yesterday was to park, sit, and wait to see if any of them would come out into the open in that area.
Fortunately for me, this sparrow did just that.
Swamp Sparrow perched on a sumac branch – Canon R7, handheld, f11, 1/1000, ISO 2000, +1.0 EV, Canon RF 800mm, natural light
The refuge has bottomland hardwood forests that seem to attract several sparrow species during the fall, winter, and early spring. I love it, I truly adore sparrows!
This Swamp Sparrow doesn’t have as rich a reddish-brown tone on its wings as I am used to seeing in this species, so it may be an immature hatch year bird. Its cap is also more brown than rusty, which made me wonder if it was a hatch year bird.
No matter the age of this Swamp Sparrow, I was delighted to have them in my viewfinder.
I took photos of a Swamp Sparrow in Utah on Halloween of 2022, which was a complete surprise for me since they are uncommon in that area. Read more about that here: Surprise Swamp Sparrow At Bear River MBR
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Swamp Sparrow photos plus facts and information about this species.
Wonderful pics. Simple and delicate. They remind me of Chinese watercolor paintings. Thanks Mia.