White-throated Sparrow

The White-throated Sparrow is quite common in Newfoundland. I photographed this little bird at Long Pond during February. This is one of the sparrows that over-wintered with the Juncos and Song Sparrow.

This little sparrow has a yellow eyebrow in front of the eye. There are times that it looks quite bright. The yellow often fades into a white or beige line above the eye. It gets its name from the distinct white throat patch.  The head has two dark brown crown stripes and an eye line beginning behind the dye.

On its breast it is grayish with some light streaking.  This bird is often found on the ground or on lower branches of a tree. It also frequented the feeder set up at Long Pond.

Once again, this bird looks different depending on the lighting. In this shot where it is hopping around the ground eating the seed, it looks somewhat smaller than in the above images. The white throat is not visible, so identification is reliant on the head and wing markings and color.

In some light conditions, the color does not look as rusty as in others and the yellow marking in front of the eye looks more like light brown. This is one bird that I need to see the front to identify. There are so many similarities such as the beak, legs, and the shape of the bird that confuse me, even though I have seen this bird many times.

This bird will often come close in order to get food from the feeder. During the winter, I often took bird seed in my pocket. It was good for the birds that spent most of their waking hours foraging for enough food to survive, and it gave me an opportunity to get a closer look.

White-throated Sparrow

 Last Thursday was a beautiful warm day that brought out sparrows and birdwatchers alike. On that day I saw five different species of sparrows but the greatest of these was the White-throated Sparrow. This is without doubt the best look that I have ever had at this bird and I was startled by the brightness of the yellow and the pure white throat.  It was easy to find because of its distinctive call.

 Another birder and I spent quite a bit of time trying to find it out in the open to get some nice pictures but it was only partially cooperative. Nevertheless, it gave us a good challenge and that is one of the great parts of birding. If it is too easy, why bother?

Over the fall and winter I became so accustomed to taking pictures on the dark, dreary days that I forgot how to set my camera for lots of sun and bright open spaces. Gotta work on that.

 On the same day the song of the Fox Sparrow drew us to it. However, it was even less approachable than the White-throated Sparrow. It kept its distance far back from the trail. It was interesting because it was singing a song very different from one that I remember from last year. Yet, it was a loud and long song.

 In Goulds there were many different birds just beginning to show up.  This Swamp Sparrow could be heard from a long distance... singing away. There seemed to be two in the area.

When a bird is singing and if approached very slowly and quietly, they seem undisturbed and will continue to sing. On this particular day, we were hearing one different song after another and realized how very hard it is to learn the songs of birds. Any one species may have three or more songs and calls. I think that is a task beyond my reach at this time. I listen, try to render it to memory and then I hear another song and the first one is gone out of my head! There is no doubt that this skill is very important to birding as it is more likely to hear a bird before seeing it.

Not yet in song is this Song Sparrow that was hanging out at Long Pond on the same day. This is the third time to see this bird or its buddy (there are two) and I have not heard it sing yet.

This last sparrow is still a mystery. I can only say what it is not but cannot determine what it is. I was able to get only this one very poor picture. There is no streaking which eliminates Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, or Fox Sparrow. I am leaning toward a Swamp Sparrow but am far from certain. I will send this one to someone more knowledgeable than me to ID this one. If anyone knows, please post a comment.

It is so pleasing to find the sparrows back in the woods. With all of the activity, song and sunshine, I thought I was in the tropics!

White-throated Sparrow

My recent posts have been on big birds. I thought it would be a nice change to share a picture of a small bird. This is a White-throated Sparrow photographed at Long Pond, Pippy Park.

Shooting small birds is very different from photographing larger birds. Since the limit of my lens is 250mm, I have to get quite close. That requires being very still and inching my way toward the bird. It is best to squat down. The bird feels less threatened than if you stand.

The lighting is a challenge as well. Often, the bird is in the shelter and shade of a tree. In this case I used a flash to even out the light. The lightening speed of the birds poses another challenge. For this shot, I used a high ISO setting. That is the alternative to using a very fast shutter speed which will reduce available lighting.

In the Fall, a man known as Wolfman hung a bird feeder in a clearing west of the Fluvarium. Every time I walk the trail, I take a bag of seed. If there are no birds around the feeder, I top up the feeder and go for a walk. Most times, I return to find numerous small birds enjoying the treats. Then, it is a matter of stalking, patience and bird cooperation to get a good picture. For me, it takes several sessions to get a good picture of a special bird. I feel like I know this sparrow. In this shot, his feathers are puffed up to stay warm. He really isn't that big around when he is hopping about.

Long Pond is a great place for a new birder to learn about birds. There has been a great variety of birds there during the fall and winter. These have included Eurasian Wigeons, American Wigeons, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Tufted Ducks, Black-backed Woodpecker, Clay-coloured Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Blue jays, Northern Flickers, Robins, American Goldfinches, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Black-capped Chickadees, Boreal Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatch and the usual complement of black ducks, mallards and seagulls.

Birdwatching is similar to a lot of hobbies like antiquing, comic book or coin collecting. First you have to know a little bit about what you are looking for. If you don't know, it is important to have an eye for what might be "special" or rare and bring it home anyway. Then comes studying the image captured and matching it to all of the pictures in the reference books. If all of the pieces come together, the item or bird is identified. When all else fails, ask an expert. Once you know what you have, you add it to the list of birds seen.

A photo, even a poor one, is good to document the sighting. Once home, it is important to add the new bird to the lists. There are several lists. The "Life List" is the most important one. This documents all of the birds you have seen in your whole life. I started mine recently but included birds that I had photographed earlier. It is a special event to add a new bird to the life list. There is also the annual list. I have 43 species accumulated since January 1, 2010. Then, there is the backyard list. It was a special event when a White-throated Sparrow appeared in my backyard for the first time last week. Every bird is an event and the event should be recorded.

Grab a sheet of paper or open Excel and start listing!