{"id":54835,"date":"2018-11-02T05:57:36","date_gmt":"2018-11-02T11:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=54835"},"modified":"2025-02-22T13:50:55","modified_gmt":"2025-02-22T19:50:55","slug":"anxiously-awaiting-my-first-of-season-american-tree-sparrows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/11\/02\/anxiously-awaiting-my-first-of-season-american-tree-sparrows\/","title":{"rendered":"Anxiously Awaiting My First Of Season American Tree Sparrows"},"content":{"rendered":"

A lot of birders and birder photographers look forward to this time of the year to spot their first of season Rough-legged Hawks, their first of the season Bald Eagle in the valley or their first of season Merlins and I do too because I have been missing seeing them.<\/p>\n

\"AmericanAmerican Tree Sparrow foraging on the bare ground – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I am also anxiously awaiting my first of season American Tree Sparrows along with the other smaller birds I only see in the autumn, winter and early spring equally as much.<\/p>\n

It is easy for me to spot the larger birds but the little ones are a bit more of a challenge and when I find them I am thrilled.<\/p>\n

\"AmericanAmerican Tree Sparrow sitting in snow – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/1600, ISO 500, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light <\/span><\/p>\n

I checked eBird this morning and I only see one person reporting American Tree Sparrows so far this autumn in northern Utah. Hopefully that means one more cold front pushing through and I will be seeing these long-tailed, rusty capped sparrows with their gray heads, rusty eyelines and bicolored bills.<\/p>\n

American Tree Sparrows breed in northern Canada and Alaska and overwinter in northern and central North America.<\/p>\n

I’m fortunate that they overwinter here in Utah and I can’t wait until I see one this fall or winter.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

I checked eBird this morning and I only see one person reporting American Tree Sparrows so far this autumn in northern Utah so hopefully that means one more cold front pushing through and I will be seeing these long-tailed, rusty capped sparrows with their gray heads, rusty eyelines and bicolored bills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":140629,"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":[2133,511,27,1022,26],"tags":[4004,2815,970,6242,788,5943,4050,855,4195,2134,9114],"class_list":["post-54835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-tree-sparrows","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-american-tree-sparrow","tag-autumn","tag-first-of-season","tag-first-of-year","tag-ground","tag-snow","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-spizelloides-arborea","tag-tree-sparrow"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/american-tree-sparrow-ground-mia-mcpherson-8839.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-egr","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49611,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/11\/29\/american-tree-sparrows-galore\/","url_meta":{"origin":54835,"position":0},"title":"American Tree Sparrows Galore","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm seeing more American Tree Sparrows than I've seen since I moved to Utah in 2009 and I hope that means they had a very successful breeding season in 2017.","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":"American Tree Sparrow up close, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/american-tree-sparrow-close-up-mia-mcpherson-8910.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/american-tree-sparrow-close-up-mia-mcpherson-8910.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/american-tree-sparrow-autumn-mia-mcpherson-4271.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/american-tree-sparrow-autumn-mia-mcpherson-4271.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/american-tree-sparrow-autumn-mia-mcpherson-4271.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/american-tree-sparrow-autumn-mia-mcpherson-4271.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100447,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/06\/american-tree-sparrow-on-a-fragrant-sumac\/","url_meta":{"origin":54835,"position":3},"title":"American Tree Sparrow On A Fragrant Sumac","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning I am sharing a simple photo of an American Tree Sparrow perched in a Fragrant Sumac that I took last month near a freshwater seep in the desert.","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":"American Tree Sparrow on a Fragrant Sumac, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/american-tree-sparrow-adult-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-1313.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/american-tree-sparrow-adult-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-1313.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56730,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/03\/19\/early-spring-american-tree-sparrow\/","url_meta":{"origin":54835,"position":5},"title":"Early Spring American Tree Sparrow","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The last time I wrote about American Tree Sparrows I said that they would be migrating soon and that I hoped I could take a few more photos of them before they migrated and I had that opportunity two days ago.","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":"Spring American Tree Sparrow, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, 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