Savannah Sparrow In The Centennial Valley Of Montana

I was looking through some older files for an image licensing request when I came across this photo of a Savannah Sparrow that I took in Montana in 2016.

Adult Savannah Sparrow in the Centennial Valley of Montana – Nikon D810, f8, 1/1000, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

When I realized I had never shared it here before, I decided to process the photo and share it today. And why not?

I adore Savannah Sparrows and haven’t seen or heard one in a while. This species doesn’t seem to breed in Oklahoma or Arkansas, but they do pass through during their migration. Notably, I did see several in the spring at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge but only recall taking a few images of them.

I used to see and hear Savannah Sparrows year-round in Utah and during the spring, summer, and fall in Idaho and Montana.

I’ll get used to them not being around for their breeding season, I suppose. There are other birds that breed here that I didn’t see in Utah, so it’s a trade-off.

When I took this photo, I found the Savannah Sparrow perched on a shrub near the Red Rock River that runs through the Centennial Valley. The blue in the background of this image is the river, and the greenish color is the riverbank.

I’m really glad that, because of the image request I had, I opened this older folder and saw this Savannah Sparrow photo again. I have so many images like this one that I can and should share at some point in time.

This photo reminded me of the beauty of the Centennial Valley in Montana, and I am glad it does.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Savannah Sparrow photos plus facts and information about this species.