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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

V is for Vesper Sparrow

 
This is a treat, although it probably looks like a little brown bird. Yesterday, in my back yard, I snapped these pictures of Pooecetes gramineus, the Vesper Sparrow. (And how convenient that its name starts with V!) I keyed it out, and then checked with our local bird expert, and it really is a Vesper Sparrow, only an occasional visitor in our county.
vesper sparrow

I first became acquainted with this bird in the Adirondacks of New York, on a hike. We never saw the birds, but were sung to sleep by them most nights. Their song is very sweet, and they sing in the evening-- hence the name.
vesper sparrow

Notice the white eye ring, and brown cheek patch with white around it.

You can listen to the Vesper Sparrow at Jungle Walk

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14 comments:

Duckie. said...

Hi There
Duckie returning your call, like your post, lots of birds where we live,in the town but only minutes from the local park where Pepe and I go everyday.
Duckie

john bain said...

In the second photo he, or she, looks like a real poser.

Rick Daley said...

Cool pictures. I have a cardinal nesting in a bush out front with several hatchlings in the nest. I have a couple pictures of the babies with their hungry little mouths up and open, waiting for some food from Momma.

Beth Lapin said...

Vesper Sparrows. Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen them. And belated happy birthday.

http://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com

Mum of one said...

Lovely shots!

Joy said...

I like that name "Vesper Sparrow." Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday.

Cheryl said...

Nice V letter for the day. I don't know much about them, but I do like hearing them in the spring. Very peaceful. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Donna K. Weaver said...

Did you take those pictures? They're gorgeous!

Sonia Lal said...

I've never seen them.

Janyce said...

Nice photos.
I use Jungle Walk a lot. It's helped identify a lot of birds in my area. (Nova Scotia).

Katy@OurSimpleLoveStory said...

Thanks for visiting my blog! That picture of the Vesper Swallow is so cool! I can never catch birds on camera like that. :)

Unknown said...

I don't think I've seen this bird in NYC, but then again it could be in the botanical gardens. I've seen lots of interesting birds there.

The Poet said...

Hello,
I must admit I never saw this kind of sparrow before. Thank you for sharing such beauty.

Rick (Ratty) said...

This is a new kind of sparrow for me, and I always love seeing something new.