![\"lark](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/lark-sparrow-2825-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nI 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.<\/p>\n
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Here you can see the characteristic central black spot on the breast.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I had a great time photographing this male with the juicy grasshopper that it seemed so proud of.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.\u00a0 She vamoosed with the grasshopper almost immediately.<\/p>\n Another thing that appeals to me about Lark Sparrows is their unique courtship displays, which are markedly different from those of other songbirds.\u00a0 In early June of 2012 I was lucky enough to photograph some of\u00a0those behaviors\u00a0and posted about\u00a0them here<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 It might be worth your time to take a peek if you have the interest and haven’t seen it before.<\/p>\n I’d love to have another go at photographing those mating behaviors.\u00a0 This time I’d be better prepared since I now know what to expect.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n