{"id":4581,"date":"2012-03-03T07:04:47","date_gmt":"2012-03-03T14:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=4581"},"modified":"2025-07-25T12:40:05","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T17:40:05","slug":"juvenile-white-crowned-sparrow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/03\/03\/juvenile-white-crowned-sparrow\/","title":{"rendered":"Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JuvenileJuvenile White-crowned Sparrow – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/1600, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday while I was out photographing on Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a> I came across a small flock of White-crowned Sparrows right next to the road.<\/p>\n

Until I viewed this image on my monitor I hadn’t noticed that the Sagebrush has started to green up, another sign of spring.<\/p>\n

I like how the juvenile White-crowned Sparrow stands out from the sagebrush in the background.<\/p>\n

My EV; or exposure compensation, shouldn’t have been at +0.7, it should have been lower. I had been\u00a0photographing a Rough-legged Hawk in flight against a blue sky before I took this image and had forgotten to reset my EV to 0.0 but I was able to bring the global exposure level down a smidge in post processing to correct that.<\/p>\n

White-crowned Sparrows have a clear whistling call followed by a series of trills or buzzes that I can easily pick up on but normally I see this species before I hear them.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

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

Yesterday while I was out photographing on Antelope Island State Park I came across a small flock of White-crowned Sparrows right next to the road.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":150862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,1022,26,356],"tags":[4067,4071,4104,4057,855,4195,4327,4256],"class_list":["post-4581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-davis-county-utah","category-utah","category-white-crowned-sparrows","tag-immature","tag-juvenile","tag-perched","tag-sagebrush","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-white-crowned-sparrow","tag-zonotrichia-leucophrys"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-5937.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-1bT","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3922,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/12\/30\/juvenile-white-crowned-sparrow-friday-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":4581,"position":0},"title":"Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow ~ Friday Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 30, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"White-crowned Sparrows can be seen foraging in the grasses, rabbitbrush and sagebrush that grow along the edge of the road.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow perched in frost-covered Rabbitbrush near the causeway to Antelope Island State Park in Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-mia-mcpherson-1703.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-mia-mcpherson-1703.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-mia-mcpherson-1703.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-mia-mcpherson-1703.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6405,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/10\/22\/juvenile-white-crowned-sparrow-in-early-morning-light\/","url_meta":{"origin":4581,"position":1},"title":"Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow In Early Morning Light","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Although White-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) are year round residents in Utah I see far more of them in the fall, winter and early spring and because it is cold they also are \"stickier\" and allow closer approaches.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"White-crowned Sparrow juvenile on a dead sagebrush, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1935.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1935.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1935.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1935.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-mia-mcpherson-3454.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-mia-mcpherson-3454.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-mia-mcpherson-3454.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-mia-mcpherson-3454.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49021,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/10\/18\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-feeding-on-wild-sunflower-seeds\/","url_meta":{"origin":4581,"position":3},"title":"White-crowned Sparrow Juvenile Feeding On Wild Sunflower Seeds","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been seeing plenty of White-crowned Sparrows on Antelope Island State Park of late and yesterday they were busy feeding on the wild sunflowers that grow there.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow feeding on wild sunflower seeds, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-sunflower-mia-mcpherson-9441.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-sunflower-mia-mcpherson-9441.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-sunflower-mia-mcpherson-9441.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-sunflower-mia-mcpherson-9441.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18504,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/01\/09\/juvenile-white-crowned-sparrow-close-ups\/","url_meta":{"origin":4581,"position":4},"title":"Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow Close Ups","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier this week I was able to photograph a juvenile White-crowned Sparrow up close while it fed on sagebrush seeds on Antelope Island State Park.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"White-crowned Sparrow juvenile on sagebrush, Antelope Island State Park, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2786.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2786.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2786.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/white-crowned-sparrow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2786.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":42663,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/10\/16\/white-crowned-sparrows-in-snow\/","url_meta":{"origin":4581,"position":5},"title":"White-crowned Sparrows in Snow","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Last winter I photographed adult and juvenile White-crowned Sparrows in the snow in low light conditions and was pleased with the resulting photos.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult White-crowned Sparrow on a snowy perch, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, 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