Brewer’s Sparrow

Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri)

Place: Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, AZ
Date: September 24, 2011, 7:52 am
Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8, TC20E (2x), Gitzo 1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 800, Aperture priority matrix metered, 1/60th @ f/5.6
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac, 61% of frame

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.

I like “low color” images where the subject blends in with the setting, rather than the brightly colored subjects that “pop” against a plain background. But I know that’s contrary to most others’ preferences so I don’t expect a lot of feedback on this.

This is a water feature at one of my favorite locations – a shallow bowl above allows water to trickle over these rocks at the base. The sparrow prefered the rocks to thre basin above.

If I get around to processing this again sometime I think I’ll darken the bit of rock showing in the bottom right corner to make it less distracting.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated.