{"id":167698,"date":"2026-01-29T05:26:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T11:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=167698"},"modified":"2026-01-29T05:27:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T11:27:21","slug":"low-light-white-throated-sparrow-in-a-snow-drift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2026\/01\/29\/low-light-white-throated-sparrow-in-a-snow-drift\/","title":{"rendered":"Low Light White-throated Sparrow In A Snow Drift"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"White-throatedWhite-throated Sparrow in a snow drift \u2013 Canon R7, handheld, f8, 1\/1250, ISO 1600, +2.3 EV, Canon RF 100-500mm at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I took this photo during Winter Storm Fern on January 25th, one of those days when common sense suggests staying inside and curiosity says nope, grab the camera. I parked myself in a camping chair in the yard, bundled up, while the temperature hovered stubbornly in the teens. The birds were out anyway, so who was I to argue?<\/p>\n

This White-throated Sparrow barely shows themself, tucked behind a soft ridge of snow like they knew exactly how to work the scene. I love how the image turned out high key, with the snow doing most of the talking and the bird offering just enough detail to pull you in. The yellow lores pop quietly against all that white, a small but perfect contrast, like a whispered secret instead of a shout.<\/p>\n

Winter storms have a way of simplifying everything. Sound gets muffled. Movement slows down. Even the birds seem more deliberate, conserving energy and choosing their moments carefully. Watching them during conditions like this feels intimate, like being let in on something most people miss because it is cold and inconvenient. That alone feels like a reward.<\/p>\n

White-throated Sparrows<\/span><\/a> are winter regulars here, and I always think of them as steady, no nonsense birds. They show up when the weather is rough, when food matters, and when shelter is not optional. This one blended right into the landscape, almost becoming part of the snow drift itself. If you were not looking closely, you might miss them entirely.<\/p>\n

That near invisibility is part of what I love about this photograph. It is quiet. It asks you to slow down and really look. Winter does not always need drama to be beautiful. Sometimes it just needs a sparrow, a snowstorm, and a photographer stubborn enough to sit outside and wait.<\/p>\n

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

This White-throated Sparrow barely shows themself, tucked behind a soft ridge of snow like they knew exactly how to work the scene.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":167695,"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":[27,13973,17051,12532],"tags":[4004,17109,13981,156,4050,4509,4899,4328,855,4195,15824,12534,373,17096,13966,12533],"class_list":["post-167698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-oklahoma","category-sequoyah-county","category-white-throated-sparrows","tag-adult","tag-drift","tag-feeder","tag-low-light-2","tag-snow","tag-snow-storm","tag-snowstorm","tag-snowy","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-suburban","tag-white-throated-sparrow","tag-winter","tag-winter-storm-fern","tag-yard","tag-zonotrichia-albicollis"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/white-throated-sparrow-snowstorm-ok-mia-mcpherson-4954.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-HCO","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":167590,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2026\/01\/25\/foraging-fox-sparrow-in-snow-in-arkansas\/","url_meta":{"origin":167698,"position":0},"title":"Foraging Fox Sparrow In Snow In Arkansas","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Conditions this morning are similar to when I photographed this Fox Sparrow last year in my friend Steve Creek\u2019s yard during a snow storm last January.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Low light Fox Sparrow in snow, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/fox-sparrow-adult-snow-mia-mcpherson-9778.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/fox-sparrow-adult-snow-mia-mcpherson-9778.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/fox-sparrow-adult-snow-mia-mcpherson-9778.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/fox-sparrow-adult-snow-mia-mcpherson-9778.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":138723,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/01\/13\/three-zonotrichia-sparrows-in-arkansas-winters\/","url_meta":{"origin":167698,"position":1},"title":"Three Zonotrichia Sparrows in Arkansas Winters","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, I had a trifecta of Zonotrichia sparrows in my viewfinder. These are photos of the three Zonotrichia sparrows that visit Arkansas during the winter.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Snowy adult White-throated Sparrow, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/white-throated-sparrow-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-9912.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/white-throated-sparrow-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-9912.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/white-throated-sparrow-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-9912.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/white-throated-sparrow-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-9912.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":137474,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/11\/25\/white-throated-sparrow-on-a-driftwood-perch\/","url_meta":{"origin":167698,"position":2},"title":"White-throated Sparrow On A Driftwood Perch","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm sharing a single White-throated Sparrow photo this morning, taken two days ago in the early morning. I adore the melodic songs of these sparrows.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"White-throated Sparrow on driftwood, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/white-throated-sparrow-driftwood-mia-mcpherson-0829.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/white-throated-sparrow-driftwood-mia-mcpherson-0829.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/white-throated-sparrow-driftwood-mia-mcpherson-0829.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/white-throated-sparrow-driftwood-mia-mcpherson-0829.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":166101,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/12\/25\/happy-holidays-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":167698,"position":3},"title":"Happy Holidays 2025","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm not sure where 2025 went, but I know it seemed to be the holiday season a bit too fast. 2026 will appear in the blink of an eye.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Happy Holidays - Pink sunrise over Lower Scarborough Slough, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sequoyah-nwr-lower-scarborough-slough-pink-mia-mcpherson-3153.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sequoyah-nwr-lower-scarborough-slough-pink-mia-mcpherson-3153.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sequoyah-nwr-lower-scarborough-slough-pink-mia-mcpherson-3153.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sequoyah-nwr-lower-scarborough-slough-pink-mia-mcpherson-3153.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":142904,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/04\/15\/spring-white-throated-sparrow-in-arkansas-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":167698,"position":4},"title":"Spring White-throated Sparrow In Arkansas","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"It won\u2019t be long before I see my last White-throated Sparrow. They\u2019ll be migrating to their breeding grounds very soon, and I won\u2019t see them again until fall.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spring White-throated Sparrow, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/white-throated-sparrow-spring-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-6197.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/white-throated-sparrow-spring-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-6197.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/white-throated-sparrow-spring-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-6197.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/white-throated-sparrow-spring-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-6197.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":96961,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/11\/05\/my-first-white-throated-sparrow-sighting-in-utah\/","url_meta":{"origin":167698,"position":5},"title":"My First White-throated Sparrow Sighting In Utah","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday I found my first White-throated Sparrow in Utah, photographed it, and when I pointed it out to a friend this sparrow became a lifer for them.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult White-throated 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\/white-throated-sparrow-adult-farmington-bay-wma-mia-mcpherson-2496.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/white-throated-sparrow-adult-farmington-bay-wma-mia-mcpherson-2496.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/white-throated-sparrow-adult-farmington-bay-wma-mia-mcpherson-2496.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/white-throated-sparrow-adult-farmington-bay-wma-mia-mcpherson-2496.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}