One of my goals in testing out my new Tamron 150-600mm lens was to see how well it did in capturing the little birds that hide out in the underbrush. As we move deeper into the autumn and into winter, I can always depend on hearing and sometimes spotting different kinds of sparrow poking about in the tangled plants and leaves in the marsh. These birds tend to be in constant motion, moving quickly from spot to spot after a few pecks, and this weekend I stalked a few of them to see if I could focus quickly and accurately on them.
We seem to have had a recent influx of White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) and I think that all three of the images below are of members of this species. However, sparrows have often confounded me in the past, so I apologize in advance if I have misidentified them.
These sparrows seem to have individual personalities and I like the fact that they posed in different ways for me. I used to ignore sparrows and other such birds, but now go out of my way to try to photograph their beauty and individuality. I think my new lens passed the test in being able to capture portraits of these little sparrows.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
❤
I’m thinking you are really going to like this lens…. 🙂
I think both you and your lens performed admirably Mike.
It certainly did, they are stunning photographs. Sooo cute too 😉
Thanks. Most of the little birds, like these sparrows, rate high on my cuteness scale–they are so energetic and perky.
Great photographs. I would love to catch the little birds round the garden with a lens like this one. These little birds are too difficult for most people to tell apart unless you get a good photograph. Amelia
Thanks, Amelia. It’s usually too difficult for me to identify the little birds when I am in the field–I simply don’t know enough about the distinguishing marks for each species. A photo, though, lets me use a guide or lets me consult with experts on-line for assistance.
It does very well. You must be very happy with it. Coincidence as I posted on sparrows too!
Fat little fellow, isn’t he?
They say the camera adds ten pounds. (I must admit, though, that one of the sparrows is definitely round shaped.)
The sparrow photos are such fun and so engaging…Well done.
The energy of the sparrows is often contagious for me.
I like that last shot. It’s so vibrant it seems to jump off the page and I wonder if it was the lighting or something else that caused it.
I am not sure if it was the lighting, which was beautiful, or the way that I processed it, but it definitely stands out from the others.
Ditto on that shot. The bark jumps out. I love detail. Nice to see they haven’t paved paradise entirely in the town of my birth.
Huntley Meadows Park is an amazing wildlife location–it’s incredible that it is in a suburban area and withing five miles of where I leave.
I love the way little birds have such personality, especially when you get several together and they squabble.
They certainly are fun to watch (and sometimes in the winter, they are the only birds that I see).