White-throated Sparrow Song

Back in late November I did some birding while staying at Steve's friend's farm in Baltic, CT. Naturally I wanted to put my sparrow identification skills to the test. We had done a walk at dusk Saturday night but my camera batteries died. But I couldn't disappoint my BirdingGirl readers and come back empty-handed! Even after staying up pretty late Saturday night (there was a party with a bonfire) I dragged myself out of bed at 7am when I heard the birdies calling to me!

Still had some poor battery life to deal with, but got these shots and accompanying audio.

Song Sparrow(?)

White-throated Sparrow:

White-throated Sparrow Song:

Comments

Anonymous said…

This is my absolute favorite sparrow song!

December 20, 2009 at 11:38:00 AM PST

Birdinggirl said…

@Steve- it really is beautiful! I'm excited to add it to my (very short) list of songs I know.

December 21, 2009 at 5:24:00 AM PST

Larry said…

It is such a clear and pure sparrow song.I've worked on sparro identifications every year.I've got most of it down now but still get confused by the less juveniles now and then.

December 31, 2009 at 5:22:00 PM PST

John (Tucker) said…

Just found your blog. Love it! I live in Bridgewater too. Bird as often as possible and then some. Visit my blog.

January 2, 2010 at 8:00:00 AM PST

Birdinggirl said…

@Larry- Great to hear from you! Yes- it's one of the few I've been able to master. I have noticed the variations, and they must be juvenile/adult differences as you said.

@John- Thanks for stopping by! I just visited your blog. Your trip to the Everglades must have been amazing! Great pics.

January 2, 2010 at 9:11:00 AM PST

Difference Between Grackles and Starlings

I saw a sad sight today during my lunchtime jog—a dead grackle. Or was it a starling? I'll get to that in a minute. I was making my way down to the trail along the Charles River when I saw what I thought was an injured bird in the middle of the road. It was just sitting there and I figured it was just stunned or maybe had an injured wing. The bird probably didn't have much of a chance, but the least I could move it out of the road. As I got closer to the bird I saw it had its mouth open and then I realized the gruesome truth—it was dead and was frozen in that position. I just got shivers thinking about it. The poor thing. Anyway, so it got me to thinking 'What is the difference between grackles and starlings?' I use the two interchangeably and haven't really made an effort to sort it out. Until now. I like to use All About Birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as an online resource. The site is comprehensive and easy to use. (I also really like the 'Cool ...

Killdeer Chick in Yellowstone National Park

These were taken at West Thumb Geyser Basis, along the beach. It was really cool to get to watch these little chicks up close and personal. I had never seen Killdeer chicks before- only adults. These pictures are from our trip to Montana/Wyoming in July 2012.

Indigo Bunting at Mt. Auburn Cemetery- Lifer!

I was so excited to see my first Indigo Bunting today. I quickly ran over to Mt. Auburn during lunch to take advantage of peak warbler season before it's over. I'm going to be in San Francisco for work all next week so I fear by the time I get back the birds will have moved on. There were a lot of birders there today and of course lots of activity around the Dell. That's where I saw a flash of blue fly into the undergrowth at the edge of the water. None of the other birders with scopes set up were bothering to look at it. I'm assuming they had already seen it and were focusing on other more exciting birds- such as the pair of screech owls that have been reported at the Dell recently. Here is where I first sighted him at the edge of the water. There was also a female cardinal there splashing around trying to cool off. He then flew up into the bushes on top of the wall behind the Dell, where I got a better picture. I was very pleased with the day! It's addicting tho...

BirdingGirl

Search This Blog