Lark Sparrows are among my favorite songbirds to photograph, largely because of their boldly patterned face and head. Those dramatic chestnut, black and white markings make it one of the easier sparrows to identify and give it that harlequin look. This species has declined precipitously in the East but its populations seem secure in the rest of the continent where they’re naturally found.
Each of these images was taken this past summer.
I always enjoy the gnarly trunks of sagebrush as perches but do wish the foreground leaves were sharper (or not there) and the piece of wood wasn’t sticking into the butt.
Here you can see the characteristic central black spot on the breast.
I had a great time photographing this male with the juicy grasshopper that it seemed so proud of. It was meant as a gift for his mate and he remained on this elevated sagebrush perch for some time, seeming to show off the prey to the female who was on a rock, just below.
This is the same male, taken just a few seconds later after it flew down to the rock and gave the grasshopper to the female. She vamoosed with the grasshopper almost immediately.
Another thing that appeals to me about Lark Sparrows is their unique courtship displays, which are markedly different from those of other songbirds. In early June of 2012 I was lucky enough to photograph some of those behaviors and posted about them here. It might be worth your time to take a peek if you have the interest and haven’t seen it before.
I’d love to have another go at photographing those mating behaviors. This time I’d be better prepared since I now know what to expect.
Ron
Love is………a big, juicy grasshopper.
Sensational shots Ron! Thanks for sharing! I loved going back and looking at the previous post once again!
Charlotte Norton
This and the previous referenced post are fascinating. Thanks for sharing. Beautiful pictures as always. I learned a lot.
Thanks very much, Rachel.
I do remember the mating series – but went back for another look anyway. Thank you – and I love the central black spot. The grasshopper is huge (relatively speaking) and he was right to be proud.
I think he does too, Elephant’s Child – he certainly acted like he was.
Very, very nice! One of the reasons I like the lark sparrow so much is that it is one of the few that I can readily identify.
Thanks for the reminding us of you post about the mating behavior. I missed that when you posted it originally.
Ha! I have the same weakness, Dave – sparrow ID (not my only one, either). Lark Sparrows and White Crowned Sparrows I’m pretty good at – I rely on Mia for most of the rest…
Wow! Thanks for including the link to your previous post–I usually catch all of your posts, but I must have missed that one as I’m sure I would have remembered it. That was fascinating and beautiful–I love how the female kept nesting materials in her bill the entire time…Those and these are such beautiful images
Thank you, Sharon. That post has been “out there” for a while so I figured some regular readers might not have seen it.
Both really interesting posts. I haven’t seen it myself, but know people who have photographed fairywren males carrying a flower to their female. Bird courtship is fascinating – someone should do a photographic book showing this round the world!
You describe an interesting Fairywren behavior, Sonja. Those males must be true romantics… 🙂