Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Swamp Sparrow

When I saw this little feathered creature's red hair (oops! I mean feathers) I figured it would be a good candidate for a Ruby Tuesday post. This is a Swamp Sparrow and is a treasured photo capture for me, being only the second time I have seen this species. I had stopped at a black, watery bog when I often find dragonflies to photograph, and while standing at the water's edge I kept hearing a bird song but couldn't see it nor glimpse any movement. Abandoning my dragonfly search I was determined to see the bird. Suddenly I saw a movement in the bushes above the water and up flew this sparrow! I was hoping it was a Swamp Sparrow and a few of that species' identifying marks stood out in my fleeting glimpse of it: grey neck, a reddish peaked crown, rufous-buffy flanks and a white unstreaked throat. It was a Swamp Sparrow.

16 comments:

Becky said...

He's quite a nifty little guy. I've never seen one before. I sure do like his red hair.

Carletta said...

This 'redhead' loves your little red-headed guy!
Very well captured!

bobbie said...

"swamp sparrow" The name sounds so dull and frumpy to me. But what a surprise! This little bird is really beautiful! What wonderful pictures you captured.

Unknown said...

That is an awesome post!

Karen Coutu said...

Love the last shot. You can look right into it's eyes.

Kay said...

Oh wow! This is THE most interesting sparrow I've ever ever seen!

Tink *~*~* said...

Awesome Ruby Tuesday entry. You have some lovely photos here.

Tink *~*~*
My Mobile Adventures *~*~*

Ralph said...

Nice bird. I like the patch of red on top of his/her head. Kind of like a female Cardinal with the red on top.

Nature is beautiful in the Maritimes!

Gayle said...

Cool looking bird!

Barb said...

Red heads always have the most fun, too!

Patti said...

This is a cute bird. I never heard of a swamp sparrow before.

Nice photos! Happy Ruby Tuesday.

P.S. I also liked the baby fox pictures you posted.

Rambling Woods said...

Great post..I haven't added that one to my life list yet and I understand they are shy....

maryt/theteach said...

Ann, this is a great bird, a swamp sparrow, for Ruby Tuesday too! :)

Mary said...

He's a cute little red-head! I've never seen this species...what a treat! Great photos! Sparrows can be so confusing and I usually have to study them on the computer if they are new to me. You were able to catch all the distinguishing characteristcs! That last shot is super!

kRiZcPEc said...

these are cool.

Mike said...

What a stunning looking Sparrow and great shots of it too. I have only seen an hummingbird hawk moth once and they are great to watch, great shots of them also.