Henslow's Sparrow

For several years a Henslow’s Sparrow has claimed territory in the field behind the vegetable garden.  The distinct song of the Henslow’s makes it easy to detect the presence of this uncommon bird.  Unfortunately, the ease of hearing this sparrow is more than offset by the difficulty in seeing one. 

You’re liable to hear the male Henslow’s Sparrow singing away day or night.  The location of the performance is usually on a perch low to the ground, so the bird is hidden from sight among all of the tall grass.  Add on the fact that the direction of the song seems to change even though the bird doesn’t move and you have the makings for a frustrating search.

It’s hard to move stealthily through a field of dead Indian Grass stalks.  Even when rain muffles the sound of the rustling grass, there’s still a lot of grass movement as you pass through. 

I usually don’t spot the sparrow until it takes off to hide deep in the grass.  At last I had a bit of luck and spotted the Henslow’s Sparrow singing from a perch in a small tree. 

My first recognizable shot of a Henslow’s Sparrow.  It’s a shame that such a lovely bird hides itself so well.  This isn’t an award winning shot, but think you should always leave yourself a little room for improvement.