
My first bird photo this morning was a blue image of a Song Sparrow singing from the weathervane atop a neighbor’s garage. This sparrow has hung around the bushy side yard since I moved here last summer—persisting through winter. It’s lived here a good while, I can tell.
Song Sparrows are one of several species Utah shares with Maine. Black-capped Chickadees are another. Both have different accents out here: the chickadees’ casual burbly notes are brighter and have a distinct inflection; the song sparrows’ phrasing sounds higher-pitched, the trills especially.
It’s comforting to awaken to the familiar voice of a Song Sparrow. It and the chickadee serve, to me, as proof that Nature transcends space and time.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
1. American Robin*
2. Black-billed Magpie*
3. Lazuli Bunting
4. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
5. Black-chinned Hummingbird
6. House Finch**
7. Song Sparrow* (v)
8. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
9. Mourning Dove
10. Black-headed Grosbeak
11. Spotted Towhee
12. California Quail*
13. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v)
14. Chipping Sparrow
15. Warbling Vireo
16. MacGillivray’s Warbler
17. Lesser Goldfinch (v)
18. Black-throated Gray Warbler (v)
19. Pine Siskin (v)
Elsewhere
20. Eurasian Collared Dove
21. European Starling
22. House Sparrow
23. Rock Pigeon
24. Barn Swallow
Mammals
None
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American robin, barn swallow, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, black-chinned hummingbird, black-headed grosbeak, black-throated gray warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher, California quail, chipping sparrow, Eurasian collared dove, European starling, house sparrow, lazuli bunting, lesser goldfinch, MacGillivray’s warbler, mourning dove, pine siskin, rock pigeon, song sparrow, spotted towhee, warbling vireo, Woodhouse’s scrub jay