I’d argue that subtlety can be distinctive. And quite attractive.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 800, 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 photographed this Brewer’s Sparrow last month in a remote area of Box Elder County. I like the composition, the background colors, the warm even light on the bird and the sharpness of both sparrow and perch. For me the only fly in the ointment is the twig poking into the frame at bottom but it’s a very minor irritation. It would be easy to remove but you know how I feel about that damn clone tool.
Brewer’s Sparrows are known for having no outstanding features to set them apart. They’ve been described as plain and nondistinctive – perhaps the epitome of an ‘LBJ’ (little brown job). Almost 100 years ago noted American ornithologist, author and lecturer W.L. Dawson said of them:
- “When we come upon the Brewer Sparrow, we are ready to wager that here the dame [Nature] has done her utmost to produce a bird of non-committal appearance. Mere brown might have been conspicuous by default, but brownish, broken up by hazy streakings of other brownish or dusky—call it what you will—has given us a bird which, so far as plumage is concerned, may be said to have no mark of distinction whatever—just bird.”
All that may be true but when I see them in the field I’m often struck by their soft subtle beauty. The opposite of garish can still be attractive and in an ‘eat and be eaten’ world their inconspicuous, cryptic markings serve them well.
Who can argue with that?
Ron
PS – Yes, I forgot to reset my clocks last night. I’d be embarrassed to admit what time I got up this morning but that explains why I posted so early.
No such thing as a lbj. Cute and nice colour.
Thanks, Jane.
Dawson was not nice! Ouch. I like Brewer’s pure breast, eye ring and the buzzy trill of the song is nice. When I am birding and someone asks “have you seen any ‘good’ birds?”, I always reply “they’re all good birds!”. Nice shot
Leslie, I have to watch myself to not say “good birds”. I know what I mean and don’t mean but others don’t necessarily.
Subtle beauty is glorious. It just is. And don’t get me started on using the word “just” as a descriptor of “a bird” of ANY sort, but especially redtails 😉 Or dogs for that matter, or ANY bird/critter! I have so little patience with that sentence construct. LOL!!
Ha, I remember you jumping all over “just” in the past, Laura. That and “common”.
Subtle beauty is still beauty and this little LBJ has it all!
For some reason, I’m picturing the offending twig as Ol’ Murph giving you the finger (or big toe) because he couldn’t screw up this wonderful shot. And then I’m laughing about that — take THAT, Murphy! It takes so little to amuse me. 😉
Time to go reset all the clocks here.
Marty, I even played with rotating the image before cropping to see if I could get rid of that twig. It worked but I didn’t like the results.
We don’t have them here so I always look for them when I am in the dry country of eastern Oregon. Subtle can be quite attractive and what they may lack visually they make up for with a wonderful song.
Dan, I’ll have to pay attention to their song. I see them seldom enough that I don’t recognize it yet.
Lovely, despite reputation.
Thanks, April.
‘just bird’ looks pretty damn special to me.
And yes I am also a lover of their subtle charm and most definitely see beauty (and utility) in it.
PS: Fiddling around with the clocks is a nightmare isn’t it. I hope you can get a nap in – or an early night.
EC, I just got home from shooting. I’ll have to spend a half hour ‘fixing’ all my clocks.
Serene and tranquil. Reminds me of long ago reading the philosophy of Plato. I think you may have captured his ideal of bird In this image.
Plato – it’s been a while for me. Like most of a half century…
I love your photograph for all the reasons you listed.
It just proves that beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. We rarely get to see a Brewer’s Sparrow during migration but get excited about any LBJ that will pose for a moment!
I agree, Wally. If it has feathers and is cooperative that’s enough for me.
Lovely photo! The setting fits the bird! 😍
Yes, typical habitat for them. There was sagebrush all around
Non-committal appearance, but a pretty bird nevertheless. First thing I did was grab my Birds of Prescott Arizona check off list and surprising to me I have seen and photographed at least one. I am sure I e-mailed the photo to one of our experts to tell me what it was. This is a very attractive photo Ron. Interesting too that its plainness could save it from predators.
Thank you, Everett.
Obscure sparrows are the best. Some Clay-Colored Sparrow plumages can be equally bland, but you may see rather few of those in UT?
For nice examples of how similar Clay-Colored and Brewer’s can be, see Lethaby (2014):
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281628657_Hindneck_Pattern_An_additional_aid_to_identifying_Spizella_sparrows_in_fall_and_winter
Brad, Clay-colored are considered rare in much of Utah. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one but then I don’t keep lists.
The ARE subtly pretty little birds that blend in well with the background – at least until they move………😀 HATE the time changes………😞
I’m not fond of them either, Judy. Right now I’m beginning to crash…
Ahhh sparrows…. I like to think of them as the warblers of winter. Beautiful, subtle browns and grays. Lovely post this morning, Ron. Winds are NNW 15-25 this morning. Most of my sparrows will probably be “heard only” birds today!
“Warblers of winter”. I like that, Diane.