{"id":109936,"date":"2023-02-01T03:43:18","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T10:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=109936"},"modified":"2023-02-01T03:44:06","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T10:44:06","slug":"puffy-song-sparrow-in-cold-temps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/02\/01\/puffy-song-sparrow-in-cold-temps\/","title":{"rendered":"Puffy Song Sparrow In Cold Temps"},"content":{"rendered":"

I went to Farmington Bay WMA yesterday morning in icy cold temps where my favorite images that I took were of a puffy Song Sparrow in the snow.<\/p>\n

\"PuffyPuffy Song Sparrow in the snow \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/2000, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the low temperatures, it was lovely to be out in the field again, to see sunshine, and snow on the valley floor and the peaks of the Wasatch Mountains. It was cold enough, though, that finding cooperative birds to focus on was challenging.<\/p>\n

The most cooperative avian subject I had yesterday was this Song Sparrow<\/span><\/a> that was actively looking for food\u00a0 in open patches of snow. Because of the cold the sparrow had fluffed out its body feathers to trap warm air close to its body.<\/p>\n

\"PuffballPuffball Song Sparrow \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I thought the Song Sparrow looked like a feathered puffball as it walked around poking its bill into the snow while looking for breakfast. A few times, the sparrow moved too close to my Jeep for me to focus on.<\/p>\n

I had beautiful light when I focused on the Song Sparrow through my viewfinder, and I was grateful for it. Even though I was dressed for the cold and photographed birds from inside my Jeep, by the time I left Farmington Bay WMA, I was chilled to the bone.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/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":"

I went to Farmington Bay WMA yesterday morning in icy cold temps where my favorite images that I took were of a puffy Song Sparrow in the snow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":109931,"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":[4004,3035,4094,4202,13659,13658,4050,4023,855,4195,4095,373],"class_list":["post-109936","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-fluffy","tag-marsh","tag-melospiza-melodia","tag-puffball","tag-puffy","tag-snow","tag-song-sparrow","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-wetlands","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/song-sparrow-winter-puffball-mia-mcpherson-1576.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-sBa","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11738,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/12\/10\/song-sparrow-on-a-bitter-cold-winter-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":109936,"position":0},"title":"Song Sparrow On A Bitter Cold Winter Day","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday the lowest temperature I saw at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area was -12F which reinforces the thought that \"bird photography isn't for everyone\" and that winters in Utah are hard on the birds.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Song Sparrow on a bitter cold winter day, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-food-mia-mia-mcpherson-6761.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-food-mia-mia-mcpherson-6761.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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McPherson","date":"January 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I was happy when the \"sit and wait\" approach allowed me to see this adult Song Sparrow pop up on top of a snow covered pile of vegetation where it proceeded to forage in front of me at a nice distance.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Song Sparrow foraging in the snow, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-snow-mia-mcpherson-3976.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-snow-mia-mcpherson-3976.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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winter morning, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-foraging-mia-mcpherson-9494.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-foraging-mia-mcpherson-9494.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-foraging-mia-mcpherson-9494.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-foraging-mia-mcpherson-9494.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55293,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/12\/15\/puffed-up-song-sparrow-on-natural-and-man-made-perches\/","url_meta":{"origin":109936,"position":4},"title":"Puffed Up Song Sparrow On Natural And Man Made Perches","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"These two Song Sparrow photos are a reminder to me that sometimes having man made objects in my photos isn't such a bad thing, it is just a matter of personal tastes.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Puffed up Song Sparrow on a frosty fence rail, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/song-sparrow-fence-mia-mcpherson-4214.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/song-sparrow-fence-mia-mcpherson-4214.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/song-sparrow-fence-mia-mcpherson-4214.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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