{"id":103942,"date":"2022-07-07T03:54:14","date_gmt":"2022-07-07T09:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=103942"},"modified":"2025-08-16T06:09:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T11:09:27","slug":"summer-vesper-sparrow-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/07\/07\/summer-vesper-sparrow-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Vesper Sparrow Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SummerSummer singing Vesper Sparrow adult \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Today my post is focused on a little brown bird with a wonderful song I photographed yesterday in the Wasatch Mountains. The LBB was a handsome Vesper Sparrow. I’m jumping ahead of the story but there were two Vesper Sparrows.<\/p>\n

\"VesperVesper Sparrow adult perched on a wooden post in summer \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

As it happens many times, I heard<\/span><\/a> this songster before I saw it. After hearing the song I started to look for the source and found the sparrow perched on an old wooden post.<\/p>\n

Then there were two Vesper Sparrows at the post when a second one landed below the first. They both took off chasing each other over the grass and sagebrush covered slope.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Vesper Sparrow looking at me \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I’m not sure if this was the first Vesper Sparrow I photographed yesterday or if the first one was usurped from this post by the second one I saw. It really doesn’t matter. I was just happy that I had a Vesper Sparrow in my viewfinder.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Vesper Sparrow in a mountain canyon \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I wish that more people would learn to know and appreciate all the sparrow species we have in North America. They truly are fascinating birds. They can be challenging to identify and when they are young even more so. I like the challenge.<\/p>\n

\"SingingSinging adult Vesper Sparrow in the Wasatch Mountains \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The rufous lesser coverts<\/span><\/a> and the songs of Vesper Sparrows make this an easy sparrow for me to identify.<\/p>\n

\"VesperVesper Sparrow after a quick preening session \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/2500, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This sparrow preened for a bit but unfortunately for me when it did I couldn’t see the eye or didn’t get a catch light in its eye while the sparrow preened.<\/p>\n

\"VesperVesper Sparrow fluffing its feathers \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/2000, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I had great light in the sparrow’s eye when it fluffed its feathers after preening. Even though the bird’s feathers are all fluffed up I can still see those rufous lesser coverts in this photo. One white outer tail feather, another id feature, shows well in this image too.<\/p>\n

\"FluffyFluffy singing adult Vesper Sparrow \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/2000, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The bird hadn’t even settled its feathers completely when it started to sing again. It was almost as if the sparrow couldn’t help but sing.<\/p>\n

I felt happy to observe and photograph this sparrow, and its song relaxed me. If I hadn\u2019t been driving slowly and paying attention to both the sounds I was hearing and the sights I was seeing, I might have missed this sparrow altogether.<\/p>\n

\"VesperVesper Sparrow scratching an itch \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/2500, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This photo made me laugh out loud when I saw it on my monitor at home because it was such a funny pose. I’m sure the sparrow thought it was a necessary pose to scratch the itch it was feeling. The pose simply tickled my funny bone.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Vesper Sparrow singing in the mountains \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/2500, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Not long after this image was taken the sparrow flew off and landed way out in the distance on top of a sagebrush. I waited for a bit hoping it would fly back to the wooden post. When it didn’t I turned on my Jeep and headed up the road to see what else I could find to focus on.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good. It is better by far with sparrows on this planet.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Vesper Sparrow photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today my post is focused on a little brown bird with a wonderful song I photographed yesterday in the Wasatch Mountains. The LBB was a handsome Vesper Sparrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":103911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1731,26,2258,773],"tags":[4004,3940,5025,898,4438,3035,7585,6865,4069,4104,2657,4541,4179,855,4195,2315,2658,8917],"class_list":["post-103942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-summit-county-utah","category-utah","category-vesper-sparrows","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-adult","tag-canyon","tag-feathers","tag-fence-post","tag-fluffing","tag-fluffy","tag-itch","tag-looking","tag-mountains","tag-perched","tag-poocetes-gramineus","tag-scratching","tag-singing-2","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-summer-3","tag-vesper-sparrow","tag-wooden-post"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/vesper-sparrow-summer-mountains-mia-mcpherson-3187.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-r2u","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":112096,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/04\/06\/vesper-sparrow-outside-my-window\/","url_meta":{"origin":103942,"position":0},"title":"Vesper Sparrow Outside My Window","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I was quite surprised to find a Vesper Sparrow outside my window yesterday after the prolonged spring snowstorm finally left the Salt Lake Valley and Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Singing Vesper Sparrow adult, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/vesper-sparrow-adult-singing-mia-mcpherson-3200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/vesper-sparrow-adult-singing-mia-mcpherson-3200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/vesper-sparrow-adult-singing-mia-mcpherson-3200.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/vesper-sparrow-adult-singing-mia-mcpherson-3200.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":87559,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/05\/13\/springtime-vesper-sparrow-images\/","url_meta":{"origin":103942,"position":1},"title":"Springtime Vesper Sparrow Images","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 13, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday morning I heard my first Vesper Sparrow of spring singing high in the Wasatch Mountains. I was enchanted and thrilled at the same time.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spring Vesper Sparrow perched on a small rock, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vesper-sparrow-adult-on-rock-mia-mcpherson-6697.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vesper-sparrow-adult-on-rock-mia-mcpherson-6697.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vesper-sparrow-adult-on-rock-mia-mcpherson-6697.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vesper-sparrow-adult-on-rock-mia-mcpherson-6697.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":110831,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/03\/07\/vesper-sparrow-at-dawn\/","url_meta":{"origin":103942,"position":2},"title":"Vesper Sparrow At Dawn","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"As this winter drags on, I find myself yearning for the sounds of spring. In particular, I can barely wait to hear the soft morning song of a Vesper Sparrow.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dawn Vesper Sparrow, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vesper-sparrow-adult-mia-mcpherson-0629.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vesper-sparrow-adult-mia-mcpherson-0629.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vesper-sparrow-adult-mia-mcpherson-0629.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vesper-sparrow-adult-mia-mcpherson-0629.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Friday morning I found this Vesper Sparrow perched on an old fence post next to a dusty road with another sparrow singing from the top of a sage about 100 feet away.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Vesper Sparrow looking at the sky, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vesper-sparrow-adult-tilted-head-mia-mcpherson-5620.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vesper-sparrow-adult-tilted-head-mia-mcpherson-5620.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vesper-sparrow-adult-tilted-head-mia-mcpherson-5620.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vesper-sparrow-adult-tilted-head-mia-mcpherson-5620.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57665,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/05\/07\/vesper-sparrow-up-close-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":103942,"position":5},"title":"Vesper Sparrow Up Close In The Wasatch Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"To my surprise when the Vesper Sparrow lifted off it flew onto the top of another sagebrush that was even closer to me which was nearly perfect for taking portraits of the sparrow and I took full advantage of the opportunity.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Vesper Sparrow close up, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, 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