The Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) has made an appearance on my blog for each year of its existence. It has become my Spring tradition to post a photo of the sweet sounding little song bird.
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) in the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge near Seneca Falls, New York. Nikon D700/80-400VR, 1/1000s, f/5.6, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 400mm focal length, cropped.
Last year was the first time I photographed the Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensi) on one of the mounds of dirt left from the improvements happening at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. This year the mounds are gone so the yellow striped sparrow found this branch on the ground from which to sing his song from.
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensi) singing in the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge near Seneca Falls, New York. Nikon D700/80-400VR, 1/250s, f/9, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 400mm focal length, cropped.
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The composition and framing of the first shot is awesome, Scott!
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Thank you, Tracy. I only wish I did not have to crop these photos so much. I really missed the DX crop factor. Since I will be needing a backup camera next year, I will probably be looking for a good used D300/D300s before next summer.
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I’ve never seen the benefit of the crop body, but I do see what you are talking about now. The first shot is beautiful, looks like a post card.
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To be fair, the D700 has a DX mode but the images are only 5.1 megapixels versus the 12 megapixels of the FX. I would love for Nikon to come out with a full frame camera with enough sensor to get a 12 megapixel DX image. The D800 at 36 megapixels is just a little too much, too pricey and too slow in frames per second for my use.
Now a 24 megapixel full frame with a DX mode in the 10-12 megapixel range would be perfect. Throw in 7 fps of the D300s, and I would be upgrading. As it stands now, it would be cheaper for me to get a D300 camera to use for wildlife and outdoor sports.
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I agree with Tracy, very nice shot. And a very cute bird. 🙂
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Isn’t he? I really do enjoy the Song Sparrows. Their song captivates me.
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That’s a good tradition. They are sweet little birds.
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Thanks, Terry!
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Both are great shots! The song sparrow is a very neat and adaptable bird, they have even been recorded making it as far as Norway!
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Very interesting. Which Editor am I talking with from the Let’s Be Wild website?
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The big boss 😉
-Nick
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Nice to meet you, Nick!
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I adore that first composition!
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I am so happy you like that one. I was not sure whether to include the branch on the left or not. Glad I did.
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Lovely images of the sweet little sparrows. The Song Sparrow is a great Spring Tradition!
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Thank you, Anna!
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It’s nice to see a little bird given its due, especially one with such fine qualities. I’ve never learned to identify birds by call, so I moused around and found the Cornell Lab – Song Sparrow page. You’re right. It’s a beautiful song.
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I need to see if there is an iPhone app that can do that for me. I am very good at sight identifications. Not so good with sounds. Thank you for sharing the link of the Song Sparrow’s sound.
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I think there is a Cornell app for iPhone, but I was disappointed to find it rather expensive for an app. I love your song sparrow. Cutie-patootie.
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That first photo is a super shot, Scott!
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Thanks, Truels!
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Sweet song birds! I agree with some of the others about the first photo–it is spectacular.
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I think I need to get a model release from this guy!
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I’m jumping on the bandwagon. Spectacular shot, Scott. It looks like such a sweet little bird.
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Thank you, Robin.
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