{"id":107295,"date":"2022-10-16T04:59:53","date_gmt":"2022-10-16T10:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=107295"},"modified":"2023-11-15T05:17:02","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T12:17:02","slug":"singing-song-sparrow-on-farm-equipment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/10\/16\/singing-song-sparrow-on-farm-equipment\/","title":{"rendered":"Singing Song Sparrow On Farm Equipment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SingingSinging Song Sparrow \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the birds I had in my viewfinder at Farmington Bay WMA two days ago was a singing Song Sparrow on old farm equipment. I know that some people don’t get excited about sparrows. I do and I’m happy that the sight or sound of them always thrills me.<\/p>\n

When I heard this Song Sparrow singing<\/span><\/a> I stopped my Jeep on the far side of the road. I wanted to listen to it sing and take photos of the songster. Song Sparrows are year-round residents in northern Utah, which means I get to hear them throughout all four seasons.<\/p>\n

The setting, including the farm equipment, probably isn’t appealing to everyone’s tastes, but I take photos of birds where I find them. Sometimes that means my images include human-made items.<\/p>\n

On the negative side…<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As I look at this photo, I am disturbed by what I see in the background. Or maybe what I don’t<\/em> see in the background that I find the most upsetting. If I had taken this photo a few years ago, there would have been trees in the distance behind the sparrow. It should be noted that now the background is a row of newly built, white, houses. Those ugly houses are shoved so close together that you can probably hear your neighbor sneeze.<\/p>\n

Where those houses are now used to be bird habitat, grasses, trees, and fields, and hundreds of birds. It was their home.<\/p>\n

When I first moved to Utah in 2009, it felt like Farmington Bay WMA was out in the country even though I-15 was just a few minutes drive away. Growth, including the construction of the West Davis Corridor and hundreds of new nearby homes, have destroyed that feeling. It has also taken away acres and acres of prime habitat for birds and wildlife.<\/p>\n

That is more than a little tragic and alarming.<\/p>\n

I wonder how long it will take for the pumpkin farm to be sold and houses to be built on the land it now occupies.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

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

One of the birds I had in my viewfinder at Farmington Bay WMA two days ago was a singing Song Sparrow on old farm equipment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":107291,"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":[27,1022,697,204,26],"tags":[4004,970,4620,8432,11563,4202,4104,4179,4023,855,4195],"class_list":["post-107295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-song-sparrows","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-autumn","tag-fall","tag-farm-equipment","tag-farmlands","tag-melospiza-melodia","tag-perched","tag-singing-2","tag-song-sparrow","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/song-sparrow-farm-equipment-mia-mcpherson-0939.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-rUz","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10228,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/11\/09\/song-sparrow-perched-on-curly-dock\/","url_meta":{"origin":107295,"position":0},"title":"Song Sparrow Perched On Curly Dock","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A few days ago while photographing some Greater Yellowlegs and Wilson's Snipes at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area a couple of Song Sparrows also found their way into my viewfinder.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Song Sparrow perched on Curly Dock, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-winter-mia-mcpherson-2294.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-winter-mia-mcpherson-2294.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-winter-mia-mcpherson-2294.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-winter-mia-mcpherson-2294.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61555,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/12\/05\/song-sparrows-in-the-marsh-of-farmington-bay\/","url_meta":{"origin":107295,"position":1},"title":"Song Sparrows In The Marsh Of Farmington Bay","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I probably see Song Sparrows more often and in more habitats than any other sparrow species here in Utah.\u00a0 I am delighted by that.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Alert adult Song Sparrow, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-golden-light-mia-mcpherson-1577.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-golden-light-mia-mcpherson-1577.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-golden-light-mia-mcpherson-1577.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-golden-light-mia-mcpherson-1577.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6723,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/12\/07\/song-sparrows-in-winter\/","url_meta":{"origin":107295,"position":2},"title":"Song Sparrows In Winter Conditions","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Song Sparrows are found throughout the U.S. and into Canada, some populations move south during the winter to southern states and northern Mexico. So far 30 subspecies of Song Sparrows have been described.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Song Sparrow working at getting some seeds, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-winter-mia-mcpherson-8790.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-winter-mia-mcpherson-8790.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-winter-mia-mcpherson-8790.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-winter-mia-mcpherson-8790.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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share one photo of a Song Sparrow perched on a greasewood in the beautiful light of a cool autumn morning.\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Autumn Song Sparrow perched on a greasewood, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/song-sparrow-on-greasewood-mia-mcpherson-2223.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/song-sparrow-on-greasewood-mia-mcpherson-2223.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/song-sparrow-on-greasewood-mia-mcpherson-2223.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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