We had some up close and personal time with a very approachable little song sparrow out at the Bay (that's Jamaica Bay for first time readers!) in early October. D (he's the principle photographer in this outfit) got some great shots. He was literally crawling on the ground commando style just nailing this bird shot after shot. C'mon, lets go check him out!
This one reminds me of those 70's/80's portraits that people take where they never look directly at the camera, always off to one corner looking super thoughtful. Oh sweet song sparrow! Why art thou so contemplative?
True to form, this sparrow was found foraging for insects in the salt marshes at Jamaica Bay.
Smooth operator
TWEET TWEET!!!!!!!!!!
Sparrows are often overlooked as being boring but they're actually known for their distinctive and melodious songs, this guy in particular (duh!). Give it a listen! It gets really good at 15:28. :)
I was diggin that bird's song so much, I read into it a bit. Turns out that a song sparrow earns its name. They can know as many as 20 different tunes with as many as 1000 improvised variations on the basic theme!
ReplyDeleteApparently, they learn their songs from other birds that live in their neighborhood and when they have to relocate, they choose a territory with the same sort of birds that they have learned from previously. This allows the Song Sparrows to address their neighbors with songs shared in common with those neighbors! ¿Habla Inglés?