I probably don’t give sparrows their due on my blog so it’s time to make amends. This species is among my favorites, especially the adults.
1/3200, f/8, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I see more juveniles of this species than I do adults so it was a treat to spend some time with this mature bird three years ago yesterday on Antelope Island. It was really pigging out on rabbitbrush seeds, to the point that most of my photos of the bird show seeds in its mouth or on its bill. The bird was typically buried in the flowers in acrobatic poses as it foraged so I appreciate that it paused out in the open briefly for a few portraits in a classic pose and in good light. For me the seeds hanging out of its mouth are a bonus.
Some folks have an aversion to rabbitbrush because they’re seriously allergic to its pollen or they don’t like its smell which as been compared to that of a wet armpit. But when blooming I think rabbitbrush can be spectacularly beautiful and makes an attractive setting for birds. The flowers of this particular specimen aren’t in their prime but when they are I like them very much.
It’s this time of year that rabbitbrush can be most colorful. In fact there’s one particular bush at Farmington Bay WMA that might be the largest and most colorful rabbitbrush specimen I’ve ever seen.
Now if I could just find a bird on it…
Ron
YAY! So much fun to see such a lovely White-Crowned Sparrow. Quite the looker! And as for odoriferousity, I’d rather smell Rabbit Brush than a sweaty armpit any day! 😉
And I’ll pile on — I think LBJs are among the most charming and attractive of birds. 🙂
“I’d rather smell Rabbit Brush than a sweaty armpit any day!”
So would I, Marty.
It’s funny, I’ve read for years about how some people really don’t like the smell of rabbitbrush but I’ve never noticed it and I’m near the stuff very regularly.
Wow, I see I am not alone with fewer numbers of birds. That too has me worried. The last two years we haven’t had as many White Crown Sparrows or Warblers. We wonder if part of the reason is due to solar panels. I had read where the panels can fry a bird flying over them. Even at 100’s of feet. Does anybody have any knowledge about the panels? The Mayor of Lancaster, CA. has been installing them in almost every open field they have.
Jean, I think there’s multiple reasons for the decline of birds with habitat loss and climate change being among the major ones but there are many others. And recent decisions in the political arena made by third-rate idiots are going to make the problem much, much worse.
Afraid that we see more juveniles than adults because few youngsters manage to live to become adults. Bummer!
I’m sure that’s at least part of the equation, Mikal.
Nice photo of a very photogenic species. I know it’s late, but I just have to jump in. I want to defend “LBJs”. I just completed a presentation that I will give in a couple of weeks titled “ Who is That Little Brown (of Gray) Bird?” It is a presentation designed to help people look at the differences and begin to distinguish plainly-colored birds from each other. Too often these birds are overlooked. While they may not have the spectacular coloration of a male Western Tanager, spend some time looking closely. The differences in color and patterns are often subtle but beautiful in their own right. It usually doesn’t take much time to begin to know the different species and you will be well-rewarded to learn the patterns, songs, behaviors, etc. I’m often asked “what is your favorite bird.” My answer is always “Whichever bird I am looking at at this moment.” They’re all equally fascinating and fun to study. Don’t just pass off a bird as an LBJ, (especially one as colorful as a White-crowned Sparrow), spend so time looking carefully at it. It’s remarkable and very rewarding what you can learn in a few minutes of doing so.
Thanks, Dan. We don’t use the term LBJ disparagingly. We just mean that they tend to be less distinctive than many other species but we don’t think any less of them for it.
Oops. I didn’t mean to imply anything negative. I just wanted to put a plug in for some birds and behaviors too easily overlooked. I’v e certainly been guilty of the same often enough. I once almost missed a Swamp Sparrow (one of the first seen in this area) because I didn’t look closely, I just saw a sparrow and called it a Song Sparrow. It was on a Christmas Count so I had to look more carefully to be sure. I’m glad I did or I would have missed this bird.
Dan, don’t give it a second thought. I just wanted you to know that LBJ’s are highly respected around here, even when we don’t know their precise ID.
Love this photo. And that beakfull. Hooray for little brown jobs, doing what comes naturally.
Thank you, EC.
Lovely colors. I have white crowned and song sparrows in my yard, they stay all year. I have my first spotted towhee for the winter as of Monday.
I have not noticed rabbit brush smells bad. My nose and sense of taste are off even more the past 4 or so years since I had a TIA.
I don’t notice the smell either, April but a lot of folks complain about it. There are different species, maybe some smell worse than others.
Love the Photo! Sparrows are some of my favorite birds and this is a beautiful classic shot! Thanks.
Thank you, Joanne.
Very nice photo Ron. Coloring is really good. Our White-crowned Sparrows should be showing up here any minute and when they do there are a lot of them. As you and Dick mentioned, I have a feeling that I am seeing fewer birds so far this fall. I hope it is just a feeling and not a fact.
“there are a lot of them”
Everett, for me there used to be. Not so much anymore…
Nice! 🙂 We do have them around generally on the ground or “in the bushes” – afraid it’s another LBJ that I don’t pay much attention to! 🙁 The seeds in it’s mouth does add to the “portrait”…….. 🙂
Judy, with that striking black and white crown the adults of the species become less of an LBJ for me. Thanks.
One of my favorites also; they are most attractive. This is a great photo…great color with the rabbitbush colors accenting the browns and grays. The seed tailing almost give the appearance of little ‘handlebars’ drooping around his beak.
Thanks, Kathy. I think they’re the most attractive sparrow I see regularly. But I still can’t figure out why I see so many more juveniles than adults.
OH Yes, they are mine as well. But,I have so many favorites!!
My concern is: will I see White-crowns this year migrating through our area. We have seen them every year either in the Spring or the Fall, sometimes both seasons since 2013. Now our bird population numbers are down significantly. From 2013 when we first moved here to 2017 we were inundated with large numbers of individuals of a species, as well as different species, including warblers and sparrows during migration. 2018 these numbers fell off significantly, but I thought that was simply an anomaly. This year it seems to be about the same or even less. A very worrisome time!
Dick, I’m seeing far fewer birds than I used to, of most species. Worrisome indeed.