A Fun Day for Sparrows and Buntings

Yesterday I went to my favorite little sparrow spot in Seminole County. It has been fantastic to us this winter, since we’ve been able to see Grasshopper Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and even a Lark Sparrow, not to mention our more commons species: Savannah, Swamp and Chipping Sparrows.

However, since early January, it seems that the two places I check had all but dried up. I haven’t seen anything but Savannah and Swamp Sparrows in over a month, which is strange because they shouldn’t have left us yet.

But this morning, on my way to one of my spots, I saw about a dozen Savannah Sparrows along the canal beside the road. I decided to pull over and see what I could find. Among the Savannah Sparrows were 2 Grasshopper Sparrows and 1 Song Sparrow.

Then in the distance I saw my first Field Sparrow in Seminole County. Field Sparrows are not too common here. For some reason, they don’t seem to like coming farther south than Gainesville, though there seems to be a small pocket of them in around Lake Apopka. Being so far away, the photo isn’t all that great, but I’ll take it as down payment on something better in the future.

And lastly, I saw two Painted Buntings–one male and one female. For some reason these have been absent from my favorite places as well, but they were both in the same area with all these other sparrows. It’s really funny. I’ve checked this area out before, and I’ve never seen too much.

Now I’m not seeing too much in the “good” spots, and this little spot has been great. Go figure. I guess if you’re too much of a creature of habit, you’ll end up missing good stuff.

Scott Simmons

Scott Simmons, based in Florida, is a lover of nature, landscape, and wildlife photography. Scott became interested in photography in 2001 when he was given his first SLR camera. When he acquired a telephoto lens, he became progressively more interested in birds and other wildlife. Scott enjoys learning about bird habitats and behavior, striving always to take images that are both beautiful and interpretive. Scott believes photography is a great vehicle to help others to appreciate the wonder for the stuff of earth.

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