Cute Little Sparrow

I'm just going to appreciate this cute little sparrow.
And I don't even want to try and hunt down what kind it is.
Sparrows are tough to identify.

Sparrow Headache

Went for a walk in the field and kept getting different sparrow photos.
And I'm like, oh no, yet *another* sparrow. LOL
Sparrows are so difficult to identify.
I think I probably ended up with several ones I already have, Grasshopper, chipping, clay-colored, etc.
I like this one of the clay-colored sparrow (previously):



One sparrow photo really has me stumped, but I didn't like the background on it anyway, so I'm going to see if I can get something better before I blog it. I saw a juvenile robin out there also.

Here's some of the grass photos I like:





No coneflower blossoms yet, but they're coming up.
Too much yellow sweet clover in the field this year. I hope it's not taking over.

Vesper Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus)
I like his song.



It was a dreary rainy late morning and the SX30IS was really straining for a good exposure.
The DSLR XSi and tele were performing noticeable better.
Both photos were taken with XSi.

The SX30IS failed to focus on this isolation fence belly shot:


Sparrow markings of note for identification:
Streaks half-way down on chest.
White eyering
Rufous wing patch
Pink beak and feet
Soft patterning on the head
White outer tail feathers (which I saw when he flew away.)

cornell
"As its name suggests, it often sings in the evening twilight, though it sings actively in early morning as well."

Color Patterns
"Sparrows are some of the toughest birds to identify in North America. But notice that warm rufous patch on the shoulder and you know you have a Vesper Sparrow."

This whole section is a good read:
Bird ID Skills

enature
"The rich, musical song of this sparrow is a most distinctive sound on rolling farmlands. Long known as the "Bay-winged Bunting," the bird was given the pleasing if somewhat inappropriate name Vesper Sparrow by the naturalist John Burroughs, who thought the song sounded more melodious in the evening."

Vesper means evening in Classical Latin.
google define

Sparrow of ND

House Finch - House Sparrow

Mr and Ms House Finch and Mr and Ms House Sparrow all on the same tree.



House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus):
Male:

Female:


cornell
enature

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus):
Male:

(He looks interesting. I'd sure like to get more/better photos of him.)

Female:


I think this is a female house sparrow also (better detail):


Must be nesting. That's a overexposed feather in her beak.

enature
cornell

UPDATE 2May11
Here's another one of the male house sparrow. He looks so cute. Nesting.

Lark Sparrow

Photo Drive.



My first Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus).
I knew this one would be easy to identify. He's interesting to look at from different angles. Makes me think of candy cane stripes.

The Setting/View:


Horses grazing in the valley.



Groved flax blossoms below his feet and dotting the landscape.



New coneflowers bursting forth.


Lark Sparrow Links:

cornell
"With unusual courtship displays as well as plumage, it is like no other sparrow and is the sole member of its genus. "

"Song a melodius jumble of clear notes and trills, interspersed with harsh buzzes and churrs."

enature

Oregon Birds
Topography of Lark Sparrow
Nice diagram.



And more.
GOOD informative interesting bird info/diagrams here.

Song Sparrow

A new bird to add to my photographed list.

Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia

Singing his little heart out right near where I was walking.

enature
cornell

npwrc
Sparrows of ND

UPDATE: 23 May 10
More, better:




One advantage to photo walking the same place is sometimes I get to do retakes.

Grasshopper Sparrow

At first, I thought this was a juvenile of some sort, but after looking around on the Net, I think it's a Grasshopper Sparrow.

Cornell
enature
Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)

Google images

A new bird to add to my album.
Not the best, I know. He flew away before I could zoom in.
If I get better pics, I'll update.

UPDATE 4 Aug 09


Grasshopper, grasshopper sparrow.
Notice that little patch of yellow above the eye. One of the markers used to identify.
Almost looks like a different bird than the one above. But I have a profile pic that looks similar. And after studying how to id a sparrow I came back to grasshopper sparrow again.

Grasshopper Sparrow
Sparrows of North Dakota
What's That Sparrow?

Just Sing

Sing of good things, not bad
Sing of happy, not sad
Just
Sing...

At YouTube:
Sesame Street - Sing

At imeem:
The Carpenters Version

Wiki info



Clay-colored Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)

Okay, so he doesn't exactly sound like he is singing a lovely little song. lol
But it sure fits the poses.

Google images

I watched this little guy for quite a while. It was fun.

Chipping Sparrow

Better setting than previous pic.
Plus, this one is in my backyard.
Actually there were two of them together, but this one flew away and landed here.



UPDATE:
Another one, back view, pic taken 28 Jun 09, teensy bird w-a-y up on top of a very tall evergreen tree at our place. I couldn't tell what it was until I looked at the pics.

Chipping Sparrow

LINKS:
at enature
at cornell

Songbirds of North Dakota
Sparrows
Chipping Sparrow

UPDATE:
Here