It was -13 when I photographed this guy this morning, with about 10 inches of snow on the ground. I am constantly amazed at the hardiness and survival of these little creatures in conditions like this. I was out there 10 or 15 minutes and had to retreat to the house - even with layers of warm clothing on!
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Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Canon 60D, Canon 70-300mm IS USM zoom, f/5.6, 1/4000 sec., ISO 640, Av Mode, Hand Held. Processed in ACR and PSE 2020 for exposure, color, sharpness, and NR. Light Topaz De-noise applied.
Good one Terry. I like the pose and placement in the frame. I might lighten/brighten up the eye area just a bit and I might even try to clone some shadow over the bit of bright snow just behind sparrow. You got a good look at the white throat. It is surprising how acclimatized these outdoor animals are.
Thanks, David. Ha! I processed this photo through ACR, PSE, and Topaz, then uploaded it here. I waited a few minutes then went back and looked at it again, just to make sure I liked it. The first thing I noticed when I looked at it again was that bright spot! How could I have missed that???
Easy to do. I’ve been known to delete a post as soon as I’ve made it to fix something like that (only possible if no one has commented on it yet). A sweet image of the sparrow, Terry, and the environmental aspect is very interesting. I’m glad we didn’t get that kind of temperatures to go with our snow.
Thanks, Dennis. I started to delete it but then thought, “I’m gonna leave it and see if anyone mentions it.” I’m always interested in what people see when they look at my photos. These temps are unusual for us. We’ll generally get a couple of cold spells and a dusting of snow, or two, but nothing like this. This is a once a decade occurrence.
What a beautiful little bird and you captured all the details perfectly! I really like the shadows on the snow and under the bird. I can’t really say why but it adds a certain something to the whole feel of the photo. He looks so nonchalant about the cold!
White throats are my favorite sparrows. Well, those and chippings and fox sparrows, too. I can’t decide.
For those of you who marvel at tiny birds’ ability to stand cold temps and are into nature reading, check out Feathers by Thor Hanson (link to book on LibraryThing) - it deals with feathers and their evolution and specific adaptations in the bird population as well as human uses for them and our failure to develop insulation anywhere near as good. I also recommend his book Buzz which, as you might think, is about bees.
Hey, Kris. My favorite sparrows are Harris’ Sparrows, and I have a couple hanging around, but they have so far eluded my camera lens.
Yeah, I’ve read extensively the scientific reasons they’re so well insulated, and why their feet don’t stick to icy surfaces, etc. But that doesn’t make me any less amazed or in awe of them!
