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White Crowned Sparrow


White Crowned Sparrow
Photo Information
Copyright: Francine Malo (NinaM) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 801 W: 3 N: 2100] (6596)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-05-12
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS350D/Digital Rebel XT, Sigma 170-500mm APO
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/10 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-03-29 8:26
Viewed: 856
Points: 38
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Well, it's cold again today and the snow is not melting. Usually, at this time of year, the weather should be around 6 Celsius and it is minus 10 Celsius! So I went through my files this morning to find a picture bringing hope and life. Because I walked yesterday and took pictures in the village of houses where you cannot see the address because of the snow mounds in front of them. I look forward a change of weather like many of you and I am already looking in my Birds books to find myself itineraries to go and see migrating birds... at the end of April and the month of May.

So I am posting this picture of a White-Crowned Sparrow, the most beautiful migrating little bird. Well, they are not so tiny, they're among the "biggest" sparrows I have seen besides the Fox Sparrow. This picture was taken in mid-May, so you realize that the migration time here is around that month.

The birds come in big flocks every months of May to go up north to nest. They come back with the juveniles in October, stopping again at our feeders in the backyard. With the years, we have the feeling our backyard has become a feeding stop for the migrating sparrows!

So very soon we will see the migrators come back, the ones stopping by our feeders to feed and rest before splitting and pairing to nest or going up north to do so: White-Crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows, White-Throated Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, American Goldfinches, Hummingbirds, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and I may forget some.

Some of them only go down south to the Montreal area but they don't stay here in St-Alphonse. Winter lasts longer in the mountains and the snow is usually deeper than in Montreal.

This is why you see Mario - who is not living that far from here - posting pictures of House Finches or Cardinals whereas they don't even come up here but we get the Purple Finches and once in a while a couple of Cardinals that I see at fall or hear in summer. Some birds, not all of them, fly south to Montreal or further just in part and some of them stay here. Scientists don't know what makes some birds migrate down south and why some stay behind. Yet, I can testify that Crows, Dark-eyed Juncos and Common Grackles leave down south in winter but some of them stay with us to spend winter.

Migration is the most stunning event to me. When the Canada Geese fly south or come back, it's like a signal that the seasons change. I am amazed at the long travels they do, how tiring it is for them and how much energy it requires.

Once I found a dead Canada Goose on the beach at the lake among the whole flock which was very much alive. The journey is a long one and some of them get exhausted. It impresses me very much.

Well, I hope you didn't get exhausted reading this long note once more. In fact, I hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading,

Francine
Shot in jpeg, cropped and resized for TN
ISO 100!
nglen, Luis52, Argus, CeltickRanger, jconceicao, jaycee, eqshannon, Adanac, joey, maurydv, gracious, Gert-Paassen, warnzy, goldyrs, Miss_Piggy has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Adanac: Happy Birthday LucyNinaM 2 03-29 19:25
To nick27: Compact cameraNinaM 1 03-29 16:19
To eqshannon: Acid RainNinaM 1 03-29 16:16
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2926 W: 34 N: 8678] (32334)
  • [2008-03-29 8:29]

Hi Francine. A good close up of the cute little bird. You have fine detail and natural colours. you can see the makings on the head well. well done TFS. good notes to read. TFS.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • Luis52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1110 W: 5 N: 3457] (12761)
  • [2008-03-29 8:34]

Hola Francine.
Muy interesante la nota escrita acerca de este bello "Gorrion" Tiene en su haber colores hermosos y muy peculiares de esta especie.
Bella foto Francine.
Luis52.

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3840 W: 190 N: 11430] (35227)
  • [2008-03-29 8:38]

Hello Nina,
A very nice capture of a White-crowned Sparrow with your old camera. The low POV, sharpness and composition are excellent.
Thanks for sharing this fine image and have a good weekend,
Ivan

bonjour Francine

belle image de ce Bruant à couronne blanche posé au sol,
j'aime ton POV qui est à la hauteur du sujet, également
la bonne espace qu tu as laissé dans le cadrage, excellent DOF,
excellente netteté et jolis détails de l'avant-plan, TFS

Asbed

Hello Francine,

Wonderful picture.Beautiful colours with excellent sharpness and good detals.I liked very much.

Hi Francine,
Thankyou for your kind words, I know that you will produce some great photos with your new camera as you are now! A lovely uncharacteristic shot of this sparrow showing its markings,
Well Done,
Nick :-)
p.s. I was wondering why you would buy a high zoom compact if you have a DSLR?

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2008-03-29 9:11]

Hi Francine,

A wonderful capture of this White-crowned sparrow. We have lots of them here but I have never been able to get close to one and have only shot them thru a window. Colors and details are lovely and he seems to be talking to you. I love the setting.

Jane

So many species of the sparrow family an done which look somewhat as a cross breed of some sort..but prolly not....I have never seen a carcass of a goose...well....yeah but at the store...otherwise the acid rain problem is still a big deal your way from the Ohio river Valley. I have witnessed fist hand the massive amounts of junk coming out of those 200 foot chimneys which burn coal for power...Coal burning is still #1 energy here in the states and it is making as mess of things all the way to the NE and east...Terrible..One should be able to witness..Here is an image I found of one power plant...there are many and bigger as well.
Bob

  • Great 
  • Adanac Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1169 W: 1 N: 5209] (17609)
  • [2008-03-29 14:06]
  • [+]

Hello Francine,
This is my favorite sparrow and your image is a fine one with great camera work throughout. The beak full of seed is clearly a bonus. Bob was kind enough to send his snowstorm to us in Montana so today is a lazy day as you can't see anything. I hope it clears up so I can take Lucy out for her birthday supper. We are going to have to stay a couple of days longer so the road improve. Thanks for sharing this fine posting Francine
Rick

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
  • [2008-03-29 14:42]

Hello Francine!
What a fine image of this Sparrow!
It proves that older cameras are still awesome :-)
Very good almost ground-level POV and an excellent composition.
I like the vibrent colours and warm light.
Superb DOF too.
Nice work!!
Thanks!

Joe

Bellissima immagine, ottimo POV, buoni i dettagli e molto belli i colori. Grazie e complimenti. Ciao Maurizio

Bonjour Francine,
Very good sharpness in capturing this beautiful Sparrow on the ground!
the colour is really beautiful in both the bird and the grass!
well done
merci
Tony

Hi Francine,

Good close up from this little bird in his natural habitat.
Beautiful colors and good of sharpness and pov.
Also a good note.

Regards Gert

Hi Francine,

I'm really looking forward to some better weather, but at least for us in the UK Spring is pretty much here. I've seen a few swans with young, the spring flowers up and the trees are starting to turn green. Nice at least that we all have shots from the summer to look back on. And this is a great shot with a perfect pov, which really gives us a view into this bird's world.

Thanks,

Mike

  • Great 
  • lizzie Gold Star Critiquer [C: 207 W: 0 N: 605] (2855)
  • [2008-03-30 18:44]

Bonjour Francine,
Très bonne idée de nous réchauffer avec ces couleurs de printemps!
Très belle photo, j'aime bien qu'il aie le bec ouvert, ça donne du mouvement à ton image!
Excellente capture de l'oeil et les couleurs sont très bien rendues!
Bravo, il se distingue parfaitement dans son environnement naturel!

Lise

Hi Francine,
Your pictures talk for themselves...So I'd better shut up and just say, and awesome job done!
And your notes are amongst the best!
Cheers!
Goldy

  • Great 
  • EOSF1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1381 W: 126 N: 5246] (23469)
  • [2008-03-31 18:24]

Bravo Francine pour ce beau Bruant, la composition est très jolie, la netteté est fantastique et l'exposition très réussie. J'aime beaucoup les couleurs chaudes que tu as su capter. Merci!

Mario

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-03-31 20:19]

Hello Francine

Very cute, it looks like it is looking at you as if it is talking with you.
Excellent detail and plumage colouration.
The lighting is well handled.
Nicely composed in the frame.
The low POV works well here.
TFS

Rob

Hallo Francine
I have not been active lately and missed some lovely photographs from members. I'll have to go back on the gallery some time and observe all the ones I have overlooked. This White Crowned Sparrow, looks like a real darling of a bird. The black and white stripes on the head are a real attraction and one cannot miss that big black eye. You have captured this bird in a lovely pose, with the food in its beak. Very good capture of this quite common bird. I enjoyed looking at this pretty bird. Thanks for sharing.
Kind regards
Anna
Loot and I will not be around on the site for a few days as we are going to a game lodge for our 27th wedding anniversary early Friday morning.

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