Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch

Subject: Brewer's Sparrow (Spizella breweri)
Place: Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, AZ, USA
Date: September 2002
Equipment: Nikon N90S, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (= 600/5.6), SB28, tripod
Film: Fuji Sensia 100
Exposure: Aperture priority matrix metered, fill flash @ -1.7
Scan: Minolta Dimage, 70% of frame

Commentary: Taken in a park with a fixed running water feature - I sit quietly in the open about 15 away and wait for birds to come in to drink. This spot is rather poorly lit, so I'm starting to use fill flash to handle splotchy and dim conditions.

Brewer's Sparrow is the smallest of the US sparrows, and a close relative to the other Spizella members: Chipping and Clay-colored. Identification in winter plumage depends on appearance of the crown, the amount of streaking on the nape, the "strength" of the facial pattern, and the color of the rump.