{"id":107737,"date":"2022-11-04T05:23:37","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T11:23:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=107737"},"modified":"2022-11-04T05:25:02","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T11:25:02","slug":"white-throated-sparrow-and-a-bittersweet-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/11\/04\/white-throated-sparrow-and-a-bittersweet-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"White-throated Sparrow And A Bittersweet Memory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today marks the one year anniversary of me finding my first, and so far only, White-throated Sparrow perched in a greasewood in Utah at Farmington Bay WMA.<\/p>\n

\"White-throatedWhite-throated Sparrow at Farmington Bay \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I usually log onto Facebook while my morning coffee is brewing. I check out my timeline to see what my friends may have posted after I have gone to sleep and to check out what is in my Facebook memories.<\/p>\n

This morning my memory from one year ago was that I shared a photo of this out of range White-throated Sparrow because I was simply too excited to wait to share it the next day here on my website. I also wanted local friends to know about this sparrow.<\/p>\n

The first person to comment on that Facebook post was my friend Billy Fenimore. Billy already knew about the uncommon visiting sparrow because almost immediately after I photographed the White-throated Sparrow I called him to let him know about the bird and where it was. He worked at the nature center that is just a couple of hundred yards away from the spot where I found it. We chatted about the bird, families, and what other birds we had both been seeing.<\/p>\n

On Facebook Billy posted this:<\/h2>\n

Billy Fenimore<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I believe I may have seen it a few seconds before you \u2764\ufe0f – your the best – great catching up today!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The sentence about seeing it before me was an inside joke between Billy and me.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week when I found my first Swamp Sparrow in Utah<\/span><\/a> up at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge without even thinking I started to reach for my phone to give Billy a call. Before my hand had moved an inch I remembered that Billy is no longer with us<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

I know that Billy touched many lives and brought joy and knowledge to legions of people. I miss you, my friend, and I know that many other people do too.<\/p>\n

Life is short, live it full tilt.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

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

Today marks the one year anniversary of me finding my first, and so far only, White-throated Sparrow perched in a greasewood in Utah at Farmington Bay WMA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":107734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,1022,697,26,12532],"tags":[4004,970,12866,4620,1830,4094,13438,4104,1831,855,4195,10580,12534,12533],"class_list":["post-107737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-utah","category-white-throated-sparrows","tag-adult","tag-autumn","tag-billy-fenimore","tag-fall","tag-greasewood","tag-marsh","tag-memory","tag-perched","tag-sarcobatus-vermiculatus","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-uncommon-at-location","tag-white-throated-sparrow","tag-zonotrichia-albicollis"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t