I moved this here to find out what it is. Assuming that it is a juvie, then it would seem, just on location (Connecticut), to be a young chipping....
Experts welcome.
artie
Not too sure what species this is
Juvie sparrow?
Surprised I got such a sharp frame considering I was working with an effective focal length of 1600mm. Wish for a cleaner perch and background, but still fairly pleased.
Camera: Olympus E-1
Exposure: 1/320
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 800mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Not really sure about this one. The BG is noisy, and there are many distracting elements in it. I would also prefer less of a head turn, and less twigs around the bird. I would try some NR on the BG. Very sharp though. Without noise and a different BG, this could be a decent image.
After consulting a book or two it seems that the facial pattern suggests it is Swamp, although Song is not too far from this. Very important info here is the size of the bird.
Song sparrow should have more streaking on the breast, and less on the crown/head
also song has bulkier, swamp has more slender beak, but not too useful info when it comes to juvi I think.
Swamp has yellow beak base, but with a juvi not too helpful either.
Last edited by Ilija Dukovski; 07-03-2009 at 10:01 PM.
Paul- Here's a young of the year Chipping Sparrow made last year at Deer Island, NB. I was unsure of the ID but had it confirmed by a "dicky-bird" specialist friend. I think the two look very similar so I would say Chipping Sparrow. Paul's looks a little younger than mine.
Looks like a juv Swamp Sparrow. Juvenal plumages of sparrows are poorly depicted in most field guides; for many species quickly molt out of them before birders have chance to see them. There are a couple of quides by James D Rising , one with paintings (just sparrows) one with photos (also other finches) that provide excellent coverage of the various plumages.
Juv. Swamp, Song and Lincoln's are classically notoriously hard to separate. I agree, - with the malar stripe and the pale throat, and not even a hint of a breast spot, Swamp looks like the best bet. Was it in Swampie habitat?