333 : Savannah Sparrow

Savanah Sparrow - Passerculus sanwichensis

I have stumbled across a small cache of photos from a conference in Florida that attended in November with work. I think I managed to "escape" and walk along the edge of a lake (its the Marriot at Grand Lakes near Orlando). I am not sure why I didn't tap them up. I probably obliterated the memory of them in the bar.

This is a bit of armchair footwork but I am settling on Savanah Sparrow after contemplating an awful lot of birds at the sparrow/bunting end of my Sibley. He does have a "distinctive" head pattern, clean white underparts and black spotting on his breast. The range for Lark Bunting and Rustic Bunting is wrong - I almost settled on Lark Sparrow but then Ockhams's Razor came out and an almost double spread on Savanah Sparrow with 20 + illustrations demonstrated that this bird turns up anywhere in the US and have a large number of sub-species.

The head pattern is distinctive and this is an opportunity to talk a few nerdy birdy head pattern terms. I think I got this next shot a bit tighter and I like the background and perch (always a plus in a otherwise boring side shot - he has grabbed a bug juicy caterpillar just to put you off breakfast).

There might be a "median crown stripe" on this bird but we can't see the top of the head. I have another photo that I can check later but a Savanah Sparrow does have a very fine median crown stripe. So the first block of warm brown colour running across the head is the "lateral crown stripe". Underneath that the much lighter colour is the "supercilium" - about where eye shadow should go. Right over the top of the eye there are a few feathers of a different colour yet - where the top eye lashes would join roughly if that makes sense. This is the "eye-arcs" or "broken eyeing". Running directly out of the back of the eye on this bird is another band of darker brown colour which is the "eyeline" or "eyestripe". Underneath that the next band of light buff gown is the "auriculars" - almost where cheeks would be if that makes sense. The next and first almost black lightning strike shape is my favourite of course, the "moustachial stripe". That borders on this bird an almost yellow patch of feathers which is the "malar". The lower black stripe bordering that is the "sub-moustachial stripe" or "lateral throat stripe" and the borders the patch of feathers which is the "throat" itself. Finally the small patch of feathers immediately in front of the eye and behind the bill is the "lores". Sometimes the "eyeline" of a bird can run through this.

When you look at essentially a black, fawn, white and brown like this and notice all the different colours and then start to look at the warm more russet tones in the various wing feathers then its suddenly not an "LBJ" or "Little Brown Job". Finally I promised a look at the top of the head !

A bit more than just a "median crown stripe" going on. There are two more very fine stripes above the "lateral crown stripe" (black then very pale) and then I think a brown patch of feathers and then the pattern started to repeat on the other side of the head.

This is actually lovely picture to observe the wing feathers.  From the tip of the wing "Primaries" then "Secondaries". Running across broadly the middle of the wing down to wear an elbow might be are the "Greater Coverts". On this bird I can count perhaps 7 or 8 individual feathers and they are black and edged in that almost gingery brown turn that is warmest colour on this bird. Above the elbow and close to the wing edge the "Median Coverts" (four black spots here) and then the "Scapulars" almost as a shoulder and finally the "Mantle" for a back. The back of the head is the "Nape" and then we get lost into the head feathering again.

I am getting very excited about my Summer now which is stacking up into some great bird opportunities. UK,  Malaysia (solo quick trip to the rain forest), Paris (perhaps a bit urban !) and then the Seychelles. I have got some camera learning to get done to have any chance of getting detailed well lit pictures in the rainforest like those above. The mysteries of an external flash and "Fresnel Extender are waiting !! Good old Shop and Ship !

Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis
Marriot Hotel, Grand Lakes, Florida
November 2015