How I got this Vesper Sparrow close up photo
Vesper Sparrow close up – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I went up into the mountains yesterday morning to get away from the biting bugs that seem to be everywhere right now at many of the locations I go to when looking for birds at lower elevations. I heard more birds than I had on my last trip up into the canyons which was wonderful.
But due to spring road maintenance I wasn’t able to stop long at some of the best places to photograph warblers and other newly arrived migrants. So I did what I absolutely love to do, I took my time and drove slowly while looking for birds and relaxed while listening to their calls and songs as my eyes feasted on the spring colors that are now creeping up the canyon walls.
I heard but didn’t see Mountain Bluebirds, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jays, Say’s Phoebes and Cedar Waxwings. I spotted Black-capped Chickadees, Green-tailed Towhees, Yellow Warblers, Black-billed Magpies, Vesper Sparrows, Willow Flycatchers, a Belted Kingfisher, Mallards, Canada Geese, Chipping Sparrows, a Great Blue Heron, Barn Swallows, and American Goldfinches.
Even though I saw a few other small birds I couldn’t identify them because my views of them were so brief. I found more birds yesterday morning but as I write this I realize I want to get to the main subject of my post.
At one point I was driving south and saw a small bird fly past me and land on the sagebrush next to the road so I turned my Jeep around. I drove back to where I’d seen the bird land and located a Vesper Sparrow singing on the top of the sage. I had to remove my “photo noodle” from the window to be able to get a low enough angle of perspective to photograph the sparrow because it was perched down hill from the shoulder of the road.
I didn’t care much for those photos because the sparrow was facing me head on but I took a few images anyway. To my surprise when the Vesper Sparrow lifted off it flew onto the top of another sagebrush that was even closer to me which was nearly perfect for taking portraits of the sparrow and I took full advantage of the opportunity.
The light was beautiful in this frame but I think the Vesper Sparrow positively glows.
It was quiet, peaceful, and relaxing up in the mountains and I didn’t get bitten once all morning.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Vesper Sparrow photos plus facts and information about this species.
What a subtle charmer.
Yet another lbj with very real beauty.
Beautiful close-up. Such incredible detail…I can almost touch the sparrow’s feathers. Love it! Thanks Mia.
That is a relief not to be bitten by those irritating bugs. I like this shot with the space around the bird It is weird to have “focus” with a very foggy view in one eye and not quite focused but intensity and vibrant colour with the other eye. The two eyes together work for me so I can see your image much better than I could see before. Like the details.
When I was little, we had a farm in NE Arkansas. Cotton country. The sound of the birds was always present. My Daddy whistling was usually part of the sounds. He would hear a bird song and mock it. I can’t tell you how many species of birds there were, but many ranging from the Black Crows to Cardinals, Mockingbirds and the Barn Sparrows.
Until I started reading your blogs, I never gave them much thought. Daddy didn’t want the Crows around, but all of the other birds were part of my life. Reading about the different Sparrows has made me look back with a different view. The Barn Sparrows were all over and could be a nuisance, but I look at them and see the beauty. Your Vesper Sparrow has markings that make it blend into the sage, but the sunlight shows the mottling of different colors and I see a different bird. It took me a while to get to the point, but seeing the birds through your eyes with all of your volumes of knowledge has given me an entirely different perspective of all of nature. I’m looking at landscapes and their inhabitants much more and seeing them with a different vision. Thanks for the gift.