Savannah Sparrow (#7)

Savannah Sparrow enjoying a meal of a worm in a weedy marshy area of Rock Mountain National Park in Colorado; 7-8-10.

Another Sparrow which is common around Northern Illinois is the Savannah Sparrow, although, I’ll readily admit, I am not sure if I have ever seen one around here, I could very well have seen one, but probably mistook it as a Song Sparrow. However, I do know that I saw a lot of them while camping and hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado this summer. The reason I knew that they were Savannah’s is because I read a sign describing them and their habitat while I was actually in their habitat – a grassy, weedy, marshy area. The streaks on their breasts (Above, 7-8-10, RMNP) are a bit finer than the Song Sparrows’ thicker streaks. Also Savannahs aren’t as reddish on the crown as Songs and their lores (the area between the corner of the upper bill and the eyebrow) are bit yellowish and contrast with the rest of their white eyebrow (Below, 7-8-10, RMNP). Also the eye-line behind the eye of the Savannahs aren’t as thick as the Songs'. And then there are their songs. The Song Sparrow’s song is more melodic, while the Savannah’s have a more buzz-like sound to it.

Savannah Sparrow in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado; 7-8-10.

Black-billed Magpie and American Crow

Two other very common birds in the Western Rockies are the Magpie (which can be found year round in the Mountains from New Mexico to Alaska) and the the American Crow (which everyone, with the exception of the extreme Southwest, has in their neighborhood all year long). The photo (Below, 7-4-10) of the Black-billed Magpie  was taken in Silverthorne, CO, along the bike path which runs through town and around Lake Dillon and joins up with a huge network of bike paths throughout the County. Magpies have beautiful black, white, and blue feathers, which are very striking when they fly.

You can always identify a Magpie as it flies by - with the flash of white and blue feathers in its primaries (wingtips)  and  scapulars (shoulders). Although the quality of the photos has much to be desired - I tried to capture a Magpie in flight to show you the brilliant wings - all three photos (Below, 7-9-10, Rocky Mountain Nat. Park) were taken in succession with the Sports "burst" mode.

The American Crow (Below, 7-6-10) was posing on a fence rail for me on the same bike trail as the Magpie in the very top picture.

One of my favorite photos from last year was also in Rocky Mountain National Park in a meadow in the valley below Moraine Park campground, where the Magpies seem to have colonized a particular area - as they were all over the place and made it clear to any non-Magpie (including me) that this was their territory. While I was wandering through Magpieville, a Crow happened to venture in. The Magpies were none too pleased as they began squawking at the Crow, who seemed to relish in infuriating them.  I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and (Below, 7-3-09) I captured the Crow and a Magpie having a staring contest. Although you can't see the expression on the Crow's face, but he certainly seemed to be enjoying taunting the Magpie, which you can see does not have a look of content.

Eventually, the Magpies were successful in driving off the intruder.