Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Savannah Sparrow

My friends left the ID for these birds as just "Sparrows". If anyone can help with the ID, five of us would be really grateful. Thank you! OMG! It's 4:30 pm, 11 April 2019, and it has just started SNOWING!!! A heavy fall of huge flakes, but I doubt anything will settle, as it was raining a bit today. OK, I was wrong - it DID settle. However, it should melt reasonably fast. Just added 12 more odds and ends this afternoon, still from Day 2 of our 13-day trip to South Texas. Having posted so many images from basically our first full day, I rather think I will have to be somewhat more 'disciplined" in my choices, or I will never finish : ) Had hoped to finish Day 2 today - almost there. Later morning, on Day 2 of our holiday, 20 March 2019, after our drive to The Big Tree and then along the Lamar Beach Road area, we went to the Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary. This is a small, 6.25 acre nature sanctuary that exists in Rockport itself. Such a peaceful place to wander, watching for plants and butterflies as well as birds. There is a small pond, where we watched a young White Ibis, a Great Egret and a Snowy Egret all feeding together. Lovely to see their reflections in the water, too. A couple of nights ago, I was Googling and came across an article from 19 March 2019, telling about a group of students who chose to spend their Spring Break week helping to tidy the Sanctuary. Good for them! "The Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary is a mixture of oak motte and native grasses. This is the original location of the famed Rockport Cottages, operated by Connie and Jack Hagar. Mrs. Hagar moved to Rockport in 1935 and devoted her life to documenting birdlife in the Rockport area." From link below. aransaspathways.com/connie-hagar-cottage-sanctuary/ After spending some time at this Sanctuary, we went to the Aransas First Cove Harbor Wetlands Sanctuary, followed by eventually finding the Newbury Park Hummingbird Garden. This was definitely not what we were expecting - just a small area of grass and trees with picnic tables. However, we did see a beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly and a small, purple Winecup flower. Afterwards, a repeat drive along Cape Velero Drive and area turned up some nice birds, too.

About a week ago, on 27 June 2016, I made my usual drive SW of the city, mainly to check on the last pair of Mountain Bluebirds that I have been watching. The previous pair had already disappeared from their nest box after their babies had all fledged. I missed this, as I hadn't been able to fit in a drive over there. This time, I was hoping to see the final pair one more time, but when I arrived, there was no sign of either adult, so I guess they, too, have left. Always makes me sad when I know my days of photographing them has come to an end, at least for this year. At least their small neighbours, a pair of Savannah Sparrows, were still hanging around, and there were endless Red-winged Blackbirds everywhere I went. There was no sign of any Bobolinks, either, and I was beginning to wonder if this was going to be one of those 'dreaded' trips where there was nothing to photograph. Thankfully, a Wilson's Snipe came out of hiding just when I was driving along the usual road. I'm always happy to see a Snipe. "Not all streaky brown birds are impossible to identify: Take a closer look at this one and you’ll see an understated but distinctive sparrow with a short tail, small head, and telltale yellow spot before the eye. Savannah Sparrows are one of the most numerous songbirds in North America, and while sometimes overlooked, are likely visitors across the continent. In summer, they don’t hesitate to advertise their location, belting out a loud, insect-like song from farm fields and grasslands." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/id

HAPPY EARTH DAY! Last year, on 6 June 2015, my place was beginning to get uncomfortably warm inside. That meant I needed air-conditioning and the only place to find it was in my car. So, off I went along the backroads SW of the city. I wasn't expecting to see anything different, but there were certain birds that I was certain I would see - birds that I really enjoy photographing. I really do need to drive somewhere different, but this drive is just a fairly short drive and fits nicely into an afternoon or early evening. The "usual" included Mountain Bluebirds and Tree Swallows. Funny how Tree Swallows will sometimes "tease" their Bluebird neighbours by flying and landing very near the Bluebird nesting box. Out of nowhere, the brilliant flash of blue of the male flies at top speed to chase the Tree Swallows away. On this day, I noticed the female Bluebird landed just a couple of feet from the Tree Swallow nesting box and just sat there with a Swallow on either side of her. No idea why she did this, as it annoyed the Swallows, and of course she was chased away. Other sightings on my drive included Red-winged Blackbirds, Black Terns, a pair of Cinnamon Teal glowing in the bright sunlight, a distant Coot feeding her little ones, a Pied-billed Grebe who was annoying an adult Coot who kept racing across the top of the water to chase the Grebe further away. My final sighting was a Coyote in a field of Dandelions. By the time I had pulled over and raised my camera, it was already heading off in the opposite direction, stopping once to look back, as Coyotes tend to do. Usually when I see a small bird perched on a fence post, it turns out to be a Savannah Sparrow, as in this case. Love their bright yellow 'eyebrows'. "Not all streaky brown birds are impossible to identify: Take a closer look at this one and you’ll see an understated but distinctive sparrow with a short tail, small head, and telltale yellow spot before the eye. Savannah Sparrows are one of the most numerous songbirds in North America, and while sometimes overlooked, are likely visitors across the continent. In summer, they don’t hesitate to advertise their location, belting out a loud, insect-like song from farm fields and grasslands." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/id I almost forgot to mention the highlight of my drive! Not far from home, I noticed a Canada Goose in the distance, standing in the grasses right at the edge of the road. I thought it might just step out in front of me, so I stopped in my lane and turned on my hazard flashers. Sure enough, it did exactly what I was suspecting - and it was followed by its family of half a dozen or so goslings walking in a very disciplined single file, with Mom/Dad bringing up the rear. Fortunately, the two cars coming behind me in the other lane also slowed down and stopped till everyone was safely to the other side. May sound silly, but I find it such an amazing, humbling experience when this happens : )

On 6 July 2015, the weather forecast looked good for the High River area, SE of Calgary. However, when I got there, the sky was overcast, the distant Rocky Mountains had completely disappeared, and the light was not good for taking photos. For some reason, all the birds, including the Ibis near the blind at Frank Lake, were unusually active, which didn't help! There were three things that I thought I would try and photograph - yellow Canola fields, any kind of bird sitting on a fence post with Canola behind it, and an Eared Grebe with young ones on her back. Managed the first two, but there was just the one Grebe near the blind but too far to photograph when she had a single baby on her back. Luckily, this little Savannah Sparrow decided to land on a fence post at the edge of the road. I always love the way their yellow "eyebrows" match the colour of the Canola bokeh. I was also lucky to find several close White-faced Ibis at a slough NE of Frank Lake. So, just a short trip, but an enjoyable one. Today, 5 September 2015, I had planned to go on a birding trip with friends to the same area, but the weather is dreary and raining, so I went back to bed instead. One great thing I read just now about our weather for this coming winter, is that we are forecast to have another mild winter, which would be wonderful!

Note: this is my main image today, i.e. the very last photo that I uploaded. Hopefully, my three photos won't be seen in a different order, as has been happening the last few weeks for some people. Almost a month ago, on 6 July 2015, the weather forecast looked good for the High River area, SE of Calgary. However, when I got there, the sky was overcast, the distant Rocky Mountains had completely disappeared, and the light was not good for taking photos. For some reason, all the birds, including the Ibis near the blind at Frank Lake, were unusually active, which didn't help! There were three things that I thought I would try and photograph - yellow Canola fields, any kind of bird sitting on a fence post with Canola behind it, and an Eared Grebe with young ones on her back. Managed the first two, but there was just the one Grebe near the blind but too far to photograph when she had a single baby on her back. Luckily, this little Savannah Sparrow decided to land on a fence post at the edge of the road. I always love the way their yellow "eyebrows" match the colour of the Canola bokeh. I was also lucky to find several close White-faced Ibis at a slough NE of Frank Lake. So, just a short trip, but an enjoyable one.

"Just" a common little Savannah Sparrow, taken SW of the city, on 7 June 2014. It posed so nicely for a brief moment. Love to see their bright yellow "eyebrows". "Not all streaky brown birds are impossible to identify. Take a closer look at this one and you’ll see an understated but distinctive sparrow with a short tail, small head, and telltale yellow spot before the eye. Savannah Sparrows are one of the most numerous songbirds in North America, and while sometimes overlooked, are likely visitors across the continent. In summer, they don’t hesitate to advertise their location, belting out a loud, insect-like song from farm fields and grasslands." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/savannah_sparrow/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_sparrow

Not the greatest quality. Cropped too closely, which is a bad habit I have, lol! However, this tiny Savannah Sparrow, with a large caterpillar in its beak, made me smile. Ha, maybe a Brown-headed Cowbird laid an egg in the Sparrow's nest and it now has a HUGE baby to feed. Unfortunately, it was so far away and I knew it would fly off if I tried to get closer. Taken along a backroad SW of Calgary on 2 July 2013. It looked like it was having probelms with keeping its balance - love those little legs : )

A few weeks ago, I was photographing several small rock "sculptures" at Nose Hill Natural Area, when this little Savannah Sparrow flew in and landed on top of this one : )

A little Savannah Sparrow who sometimes flew down to greet me on my walks fairly close to the river. Those yellow "eyebrows" always make me smile.

This Savannah Sparrow was sitting in the same tree as the Clay-colured Sparrow, which is why at first I thought the Clay-coloured Sparrow was another Savannah. Then I realized that the Clay-coloured was a smaller bird. The Savannah Sparrow is one of Alberta's most common open-country birds.

A common little bird but I always love to see its bright yellow "eyebrows".

The Savannah Sparrow is one of the most common birds in Alberta to be found in any natural open areas. This photo was taken in a Calgary park, north Weaselhead. The bright yellow "lore" make it look as if it has yellow eyebrows!