You know that feeling? Sometimes you stumble upon a location that is just right for photographing. Well, for me that's definitely a good friend's garden. I've taken you back to this same place three times today because the place holds a very special attraction for our little feathered friends. I think it's become something of a tradition now, to set up camp here and see what surprises are in store for me from nature.
As in my previous posts (please check them if you haven't), today's post is about sparrows. Yes, sparrows; I know they are everywhere and perhaps not the most exotic birds. But I think that is the interesting thing about them. How everywhere they are, how alive they are, and how full of character they are. The way that they navigate their environment, communicate with one another, and just be is impressive.
The benefit of this garden, is that the sparrows in it seem to have some tolerance to people. You do not need to spend hours lurking or wearing camouflage. You can be imminently situated to wait for them to approach through pure curiosity. This is when I feel like a little 'garden snoop' getting privy to their secret world. And these are the moments that I try and photograph.
The photos you will take a look at today are a few days old, however, I was back in this garden just yesterday and the camera was able to catch a totally different, exciting bird that will show up in a separate post, so look out for that! But on to the stars of today's post, sparrows.
In the first seven photos, you meet one of our little stars in various poses. Sometimes our star is looking alertly at the distance, sometimes it seems to be in a brief period of orientation, and most of the time it was just hanging out in the garden, finding the relaxing sun on the fence. I have a soft spot for these moments when you can see softness and small features in feather, the alert eyes. I like to watch them poke around their environment offensively with their beaks or just remain still.
The last photos are exciting to me because here I observed another sparrow fluffing out its feathers. Grooming of feathers and the removal of dirt or parasites is a totally normal behavioral trait and part of their function of feathers. Some of these movements are rapid and it can be difficult to catch them sharp, so I am very pleased with capturing the dynamics of this moment. It gives you a sense of just how much life is in these small creatures and how perfectly adapted these sparrows are!
I hope you enjoyed these little glimpses into the world of our feathered friends and perhaps they even inspired you to take a closer look yourself.🙃✌️
