{"id":72022,"date":"2020-07-19T06:09:31","date_gmt":"2020-07-19T12:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=72022"},"modified":"2024-07-13T03:13:02","modified_gmt":"2024-07-13T08:13:02","slug":"fledgling-song-sparrow-at-waters-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/19\/fledgling-song-sparrow-at-waters-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Fledgling Song Sparrow At Water&#8217;s Edge"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the past week or so I have shared photos of a few fledgling birds which have included recently fledged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/13\/recently-fledged-red-tailed-hawks-from-two-nests\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Red-tailed Hawks<\/span><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/12\/american-robin-fledglings-exploring-their-mountain-home\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">American Robins<\/span><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/11\/begging-fledgling-gray-catbird-high-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Gray Catbirds<\/span><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/10\/yellow-warbler-fledglings-everywhere\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Yellow Warblers<\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/18\/black-billed-magpie-fledgling-perched-in-a-serviceberry\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Black-billed Magpies<\/span><\/a>. I&#8217;m not done sharing photos of fledglings yet. This time of the year I see recently fledged birds practically everywhere I go and they can be so much fun to observe and photograph as they learn to fly and forage on their own.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter wp-image-130552 size-full\" title=\"Fledgling Song Sparrow next to an alpine creek\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-4407.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-4407.jpg\" alt=\"Fledgling Song Sparrow next to an alpine creek, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27900%27%20height%3D%27643%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20900%20643%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27900%27%20height%3D%27643%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-4407-200x143.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-4407-250x179.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-4407-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-4407-400x286.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-4407-600x429.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-4407-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-4407-800x572.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-4407.jpg 900w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Fledgling Song Sparrow next to an alpine creek \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/400, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Today I am sharing a photo of a fledgling Song Sparrow I photographed last week next to an alpine creek high in the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wasatch_Range\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a>. This young sparrow could fly although when it did fly it wobbled a bit and I could tell that it was still learning how to use its wings to get to where it wanted to go.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m not sure if this fledgling Song Sparrow was looking for food as it perched next to the cool water of the creek or if it was just taking a short break from foraging. I have observed adult Song Sparrows catching nymphs of dragonflies, damselflies and mayflies emerging from the water at the edge of creeks, streams, ponds, lakes, and marshes many times over the years. Perhaps this immature sparrow was checking out the area to see if there was any food for it to eat. I can&#8217;t be sure.<\/p>\n<p>What I am sure of is that there is ample of food for this fledging Song Sparrow to find adjacent to this alpine creek and in the habitat near it. My hope is that this young sparrow finds what it needs and flourishes.<\/p>\n<p>Life <em>is<\/em> good. Stay safe.<\/p>\n<p>Mia<\/p>\n<p>Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/song-sparrow-images\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Song Sparrow photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today I am sharing a photo of a fledgling Song Sparrow I photographed last week next to an alpine creek high in the Wasatch Mountains.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":130552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_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":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,204,1731,26,773],"tags":[6480,8120,3940,3843,7600,4141,4067,4202,4069,9626,4921,4023,855,4195,2315,3996,4193],"class_list":["post-72022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-song-sparrows","category-summit-county-utah","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-alpine","tag-aquatic-vegetation","tag-canyon","tag-creek","tag-creek-bank","tag-fledgling","tag-immature","tag-melospiza-melodia","tag-mountains","tag-riparian-habitat","tag-rock","tag-song-sparrow","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-summer-3","tag-water","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-bank-mia-mcpherson-4407.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-iJE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":92381,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/07\/19\/fledgling-song-sparrow-images\/","url_meta":{"origin":72022,"position":0},"title":"Fledgling Song Sparrow Images","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Any day now I should spot my first of season fledgling Song Sparrow exploring their world and learning how to find food on their own.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fledgling Song Sparrow eating at the edge of a creek, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-mia-mcpherson-5973.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-mia-mcpherson-5973.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-mia-mcpherson-5973.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/song-sparrow-juvenile-creek-mia-mcpherson-5973.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72033,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/20\/fledgling-mountain-bluebird\/","url_meta":{"origin":72022,"position":1},"title":"Fledgling Mountain Bluebird","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Mountain Bluebird families I saw didn't stay close to the road and my best images were taken of this fledgling as it perched on an old metal post.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mountain Bluebird fledgling on a metal post, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-fledgling-metal-post-mia-mcpherson-4625.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-fledgling-metal-post-mia-mcpherson-4625.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-fledgling-metal-post-mia-mcpherson-4625.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-fledgling-metal-post-mia-mcpherson-4625.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":70937,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/06\/17\/female-brown-headed-cowbird-in-a-serviceberry\/","url_meta":{"origin":72022,"position":2},"title":"Female Brown-headed Cowbird In A Serviceberry","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Three days ago one of the birds that the Song Sparrows chased off was an adult female Brown-headed Cowbird that landed on a serviceberry in front of me.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Beaverhead County&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Brown-headed Cowbird perched in a Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-female-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-6004.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-female-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-6004.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-female-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-6004.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-female-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-6004.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":90232,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/06\/12\/song-sparrow-eating-a-snail\/","url_meta":{"origin":72022,"position":3},"title":"Song Sparrow Eating A Snail","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Photographing a Song Sparrow eating a snail yesterday morning as it foraged in a creek in the Wasatch Mountains was a unique experience for me.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Song Sparrow with a snail in its bill, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/song-sparrow-adult-creek-snail-mia-mcpherson-6111.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/song-sparrow-adult-creek-snail-mia-mcpherson-6111.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/song-sparrow-adult-creek-snail-mia-mcpherson-6111.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/song-sparrow-adult-creek-snail-mia-mcpherson-6111.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59308,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/08\/01\/focusing-on-young-song-sparrows-near-a-creek\/","url_meta":{"origin":72022,"position":4},"title":"Focusing On Young Song Sparrows Near A Creek","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 1, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I was glad to have so many immature Song Sparrows in my viewfinder that were out in the open on the ground and perched up higher.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Song Sparrow on a stump, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-juvenile-willow-stump-mia-mcpherson-2695.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-juvenile-willow-stump-mia-mcpherson-2695.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/song-sparrow-immature-wasatch-mountains-mia-mcpherson-7501.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/song-sparrow-immature-wasatch-mountains-mia-mcpherson-7501.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/song-sparrow-immature-wasatch-mountains-mia-mcpherson-7501.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/song-sparrow-immature-wasatch-mountains-mia-mcpherson-7501.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\/72022","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=72022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}