Song Sparrows – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Juvenile Song Sparrow Perched In A Thicket

By Mia McPherson|July 28th, 2019|Categories: Morgan County, Song Sparrows, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: canyon, immature, juvenile, Melospiza melodia, mountains, perched, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, thicket, willow thicket, young|

The light wasn't great when I took this image of a juvenile Song Sparrow perched in a thicket last year but these little ones don't seem to spend a lot of time in the open right after they fledge so I was happy with the photo.

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Back Side View Of An Adult Song Sparrow

By Mia McPherson|July 11th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Song Sparrows, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, back view, branch, canyon, Melospiza melodia, mountains, perched, riparian habitat, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, summer|

Just a few days ago I was listening to Song Sparrows singing on the East Coast and yesterday I was listening to them singing in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah.

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Singing Song Sparrow Versus A Wind

By Mia McPherson|June 22nd, 2019|Categories: Birds, Song Sparrows, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, Melospiza melodia, mountains, perched, serviceberry, singing, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, wind|

Just seconds after I took this photo I think the Song Sparrow decided it had had enough of the wind because it took off and left the bouncy serviceberry perch.

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Adult Song Sparrow Foraging In The Snow At Farmington Bay WMA

By Mia McPherson|January 23rd, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, approach, foraging, Melospiza melodia, sit and wait, snow, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, winter|

I was happy when the "sit and wait" approach allowed me to see this adult Song Sparrow pop up on top of a snow covered pile of vegetation where it proceeded to forage in front of me at a nice distance.

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Puffed Up Song Sparrow On Natural And Man Made Perches

By Mia McPherson|December 15th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, branch, fence rail, frost, frosted, frosty, man made, Melospiza melodia, natural, puffed up, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, winter|

These two Song Sparrow photos are a reminder to me that sometimes having man made objects in my photos isn't such a bad thing, it is just a matter of personal tastes.

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Creekside Adult Song Sparrow – Photographed To Preserve a Memory And Nothing More

By Mia McPherson|August 22nd, 2018|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Song Sparrows, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, creek, grasses, Melospiza melodia, mountains, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, summer, water|

As I sat creekside in my Jeep an adult Song Sparrow flew in, landed and began hopping around looking for food for breakfast in the vegetation floating on the water at the edge of the creek.

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Birds & More Birds in The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|August 10th, 2018|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Bullock's Orioles, Cedar Waxwings, Gray Catbirds, Lark Sparrows, Lazuli Buntings, Morgan County, Song Sparrows, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: adult, American Robin, Bombycilla cedrorum, Bullock's Oriole, bunting, buntings, catbird, catbirds, Cedar Waxwing, Chondestes grammacus, Dumetella carolinensis, Gray Catbird, Icterus bullockii, immature, juvenile, Lark Sparrow, Lazuli Bunting, Melospiza melodia, oriole, orioles, Passerina amoena, robin, robins, Setophaga petechia, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, Turdus migratorius, warbler, warblers, waxwing, waxwings, Yellow Warbler, young|

In the past week I have photographed so many birds in a Wasatch Mountain canyon that I thought I would share a group of them in a photo gallery.

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Song Sparrows – Out In The Open And Partially In View

By Mia McPherson|October 11th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Box Elder County, Davis County, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, cover, Greasewood, guide book quality, Melospiza melodia, oak, open, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows|

I can't pick a favorite between these two Song Sparrow photos because I find them both visually appealing and I don't feel a need or a desire to pick one over the other.

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Adult and Immature Song Sparrows

By Mia McPherson|September 21st, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Song Sparrows, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, eating, immature, marsh, Melospiza melodia, messy, molting, perched, phragmites, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, wetlands|

Yesterday morning I was able to photograph and adult Song Sparrow eating while perched at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge early in the morning.

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Immature Song Sparrow Sporting a Messy Look

By Mia McPherson|August 7th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: canyon, disheveled, immature, Melospiza melodia, messy, molt, perched, preening, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, young|

Birds aren't always neat looking, feathers wear, birds molt and young birds transitioning from their juvenal plumage into adult plumage can look quite disheveled or messy.

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Song Sparrow In Box Elder County, Utah – Bird Sounds of Spring

By Mia McPherson|April 2nd, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: abundant, back view, barb wire, barbed wire, calls, Melospiza melodia, perched, side view, Song Sparrow, songs, sounds, sparrow, sparrows, spring, subspecies, variable|

I was trying to photograph some Red-tailed Hawks when I heard a song close to me and realized it was a Song Sparrow before I even located the bird and put my lens on it.

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Short Tale of a Song Sparrow Without a Tail

By Mia McPherson|November 19th, 2016|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: Accipiters, desert island, frost, frosty, Melospiza melodia, perched, predator attack, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, tailless, winter|

On the last day of 2015 I photographed this Song Sparrow without a tail on Antelope Island State Park during the early morning while frost still clung to branch the sparrow was perched on.

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Autumn Teasels and a Song Sparrow

By Mia McPherson|October 16th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: Dipsacus fullonum, dried, invasive, light, Melospiza melodia, shadows, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, sunlit, Teasel, teasels, wild rose, wildflower|

I did get some images of the Song and White-crowned Sparrows on the wild rose and I like how this Song Sparrow had its back to me but gave me a nice head turn over its shoulder.

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Quartet of Sparrow Species

By Mia McPherson|December 15th, 2014|Categories: American Tree Sparrows, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Lincoln's Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: American Tree Sparrow, Davis County, Lincoln's Sparrow, marsh, Melospiza lincolnii, Melospiza melodia, perched, song birds, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, Spizelloides arborea, tree sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys|

Lately I've been able to photograph 4 different sparrow species between Antelope Island State Park and Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.

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So where is the snow?

By Mia McPherson|December 11th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Song Sparrows, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: Ardea herodias, frost, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, Melospiza melodia, nature photography, snow, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, White-crowned Sparrow, winter, Zonotrichia leucophrys|

So, is this the year that the Grinch stole winter?

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Song Sparrow foraging on a cold winter morning

By Mia McPherson|December 30th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: bird photography, birds, Davis County, foraging, Melospiza melodia, nature photography, snow, wildlife photography, winter|

While photographing Barn Owls last January I caught a small movement out of the corner of my eye and noticed a Song Sparrow foraging for seeds on the snow covered ground.

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Song Sparrow on a bitter cold winter day

By Mia McPherson|December 10th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, birds, cold, Davis County, foraging, marsh, Melospiza melodia, phragmites, pigweed, seeds, snow, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, survive, winter|

Yesterday the lowest temperature I saw at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area was -12F which reinforces the thought that "bird photography isn't for everyone" and that winters in Utah are hard on the birds.

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Song Sparrow perched on Curly dock

By Mia McPherson|November 9th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, birds, curly dock, Curlydock, Davis County, marsh, Melospiza melodia, Rumex crispus, sparrow, sparrows, water, winter|

A few days ago while photographing some Greater Yellowlegs and Wilson's Snipes at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area a couple of Song Sparrows also found their way into my viewfinder.

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Song Sparrows in Winter

By Mia McPherson|December 7th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, birds, Davis County, eating, feeding, foraging, frost, hoar frost, marsh, Melospiza melodia, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, winter|

Song Sparrows are found throughout the U.S. and into Canada, some populations move south during the winter to southern states and northern Mexico. So far 30 subspecies of Song Sparrows have been described.

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Song Sparrow – Small In Frame

By Mia McPherson|December 9th, 2010|Categories: Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, birds, Davis County, frosty, marsh, Melospiza melodia, passerine, perched, phragmites, phrags, small in frame, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, winter|

What I like about this image is the pose of the Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), the warm tones of the background, the detail and colors

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Song Sparrow

By Mia McPherson|November 29th, 2010|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, bill, bird ID, birds, fence, fence rail, frost, Melospiza melodia, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, vegetation, winter|

Sometimes life gets so busy that it takes me quite awhile to edit some of the images I take, this Song Sparrow photo is one of those.

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Frost this morning!

By Mia McPherson|September 11th, 2010|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, birds, frost, frosty, hoar frost, Melospiza melodia, northern Utah, perched, Song Sparrow, sparrow, winter|

I get very excited about small things at times, a colorful sunrise, the sight of a shooting star, the first spring crocus and in the fall; the first time I see frost.

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