{"id":51745,"date":"2018-04-21T04:43:32","date_gmt":"2018-04-21T10:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=51745"},"modified":"2025-10-21T14:32:58","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T19:32:58","slug":"adult-white-crowned-sparrow-perched-on-a-budding-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/04\/21\/adult-white-crowned-sparrow-perched-on-a-budding-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"Adult White-crowned Sparrow Perched On A Budding Tree"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"White-crownedWhite-crowned Sparrow perched on a budding tree – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Spring migration is underway here in northern Utah and while I am excited about the prospect of photographing birds I haven’t seen since last fall I am still thrilled to photograph the birds I see here throughout most of the year.<\/p>\n

White-crowned Sparrows are quite common in the Salt Lake Valley in the winter and I see them often at Antelope Island, Farmington Bay WMA, the West Desert and further north on the slopes of mountains.<\/p>\n

During the summer I see them less often because most of these sparrows head up into the mountains to nest and breed so they are harder to find during their nesting season.<\/p>\n

That is, unless I head up into the high country which is fine with me because I like to head up into the mountains during the heat of the summer because it is always slightly cooler up there.<\/p>\n

Three days ago after I photographed the female American Kestrel<\/span><\/a> eating her prey on a lichen-covered rock I was able to take a few photographs of a single adult White-crowned Sparrow that was perched on a budding tree.<\/p>\n

I liked the eye contact I had with the White-crowned Sparrow<\/span><\/a>, the opening buds on the Fragrant Sumac, and how well the sparrow stood out from the plain background. Sure, it is a little brown bird that people might overlook but I will photograph them every chance I get.<\/p>\n

To me their subtle coloration is quite beautiful.<\/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":"

Three days ago after I photographed the female American Kestrel eating her prey on a lichen-covered rock I was able to take a few photographs of a single adult White-crowned Sparrow that was perched on a budding tree.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":161156,"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":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1148,26,356],"tags":[4004,6460,4098,6767,4104,11852,6768,7474,855,4195,165,7630,4427,4327,4256],"class_list":["post-51745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-utah","category-white-crowned-sparrows","tag-adult","tag-budding-trees","tag-desert","tag-fragrant-sumac","tag-perched","tag-ranchlands","tag-rhus-aromatica","tag-seep","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-spring","tag-sumac","tag-tree","tag-white-crowned-sparrow","tag-zonotrichia-leucophrys"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-adult-spring-mia-mcpherson-0927.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-dsB","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":96549,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/10\/20\/immature-white-crowned-sparrow-photos-in-fall\/","url_meta":{"origin":51745,"position":0},"title":"Immature White-crowned Sparrow Photos In Fall","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was way up north in Box Elder County three days ago I had the opportunity to take immature White-crowned Sparrow photos with fall colors in the frames.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature White-crowned Sparrow on a sumac at a desert seep, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-immature-fall-sumac-mia-mcpherson-0590.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-immature-fall-sumac-mia-mcpherson-0590.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-immature-fall-sumac-mia-mcpherson-0590.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-immature-fall-sumac-mia-mcpherson-0590.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60978,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/10\/23\/white-crowned-sparrow-adult-perched-in-a-hackberry-tree\/","url_meta":{"origin":51745,"position":1},"title":"White-crowned Sparrow Adult Perched In A Hackberry Tree","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed this adult White-crowned Sparrow about two weeks ago in northern Utah while it perched on a hackberry tree on a hill with blooming rabbitbrush in the background.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult White-crowned Sparrow in a hackberry tree, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-hackberry-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-4955.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-hackberry-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-4955.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-hackberry-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-4955.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-hackberry-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-4955.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":73602,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/09\/08\/im-just-mad-about-sparrows\/","url_meta":{"origin":51745,"position":2},"title":"I’m Just Mad About Sparrows","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I had a great time photographing all of the sparrow species I saw two days ago and I could have stayed with them all morning long. I might do just that later this week.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Savannah Sparrow adult perched in wild roses, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/savannah-sparrow-wild-roses-mia-mcpherson-2631.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/savannah-sparrow-wild-roses-mia-mcpherson-2631.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/savannah-sparrow-wild-roses-mia-mcpherson-2631.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/savannah-sparrow-wild-roses-mia-mcpherson-2631.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/white-crowned-sparrow-adult-mia-mcpherson-9736.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/white-crowned-sparrow-adult-mia-mcpherson-9736.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/white-crowned-sparrow-adult-mia-mcpherson-9736.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/white-crowned-sparrow-adult-mia-mcpherson-9736.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100931,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/20\/world-sparrow-day-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":51745,"position":4},"title":"World Sparrow Day 2022","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Today is World Sparrow Day and since I love all of the sparrows on the planet I thought I'd share some of the sparrows I have photographed in North America.","rel":"","context":"In "American Tree Sparrows"","block_context":{"text":"American Tree Sparrows","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/emberzine-sparrows-allies\/american-tree-sparrows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult White-crowned Sparrow in a hackberry tree, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-hackberry-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-4955.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-hackberry-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-4955.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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White-crowned Sparrow adult portrait, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/white-crowned-sparrow-adult-winter-portrait-mia-mcpherson-9496.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/white-crowned-sparrow-adult-winter-portrait-mia-mcpherson-9496.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/white-crowned-sparrow-adult-winter-portrait-mia-mcpherson-9496.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/white-crowned-sparrow-adult-winter-portrait-mia-mcpherson-9496.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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