Sparrows are so industrious as they poke about in the underbrush that I rarely get a clean look at one. I was happy therefore that I managed to get a shot of this Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) when it perched momentarily on some vegetation amidst the thorny stalks recently at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
We have had quite a number of small snow and ice storms this winter, but it has proven difficult to capture images of bird against a snowy background. I am happy here that the sparrow chose to perch in a tiny patch of snow that adds a bit more visual interest to the shot. Several viewers yesterday commented that they like it when I show more of the bird’s environment in my photos, so I decided not to crop in too closely today.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
It’s a toss up when you have a great angle on a subject you don’t see often. He’s a handsome little guy. This is a nice composition.
Thanks, Dan. Like most people, I want to have it all, so when I have the choice I will try to get the close-in shot and the wider shot too. My default mode generally is to get the closer-in shot, no matter whether I am using a telephoto lens or a macro lens. A lot of the time, though, I can’t get in close, so the decision moment comes when I am adjusting the photo post facto and deciding how I will choose to crop it.
You’d be the only one to ever know you could have gotten a better shot…unless you tell us.
🙂
Aw. I love sparrows. I had a little one pop on the wall in my garden yesterday but it was gone before I could even contemplate getting a camera.
So many people dismiss sparrows as nondescript brown birds and pay them no attention. It is heartening to learn, Tricia, that you too love sparrows. I enjoy watching them, even when I am not trying to capture them with my camera.
Nice Sparrow image Mike!
Thanks, Reed.
Agreed, Mike. I love that little patch of snow under his feet. How fortuitous that you caught him standing there!☺️ And despite the fact that I also think a bit of the environment adds to a photograph, I do have a tendency to crop in too close myself.
I watched and waited and hoped the sparrow would chose a photogenic place to perch and was amazed when it selected one of the sites I had in mind. As for including the environment, a lot depends on the circumstances. Most of the time the background is so cluttered that it distracts the viewer from the main subject, so I too will crop pretty closely.
Somehow I should have known this is how things transpired with the sparrow and the snow patch …. 😉
I think that is a perfect crop for this shot 👏👏👏👏. Of course it’s a good clean photo too 😀😀
I really like the textures and colors of the background reflecting the bird’s plumage.
Thanks, Eliza. It is wonderful when the background “matches” the bird, but, of course, that makes the birds a lot tougher to spot. 🙂