Upon arriving at Piper Spit, the first thing we see is some Serious Birders scoping out some little birb with their Serious Gear. They were super nice, informing us that their target was a Tree Sparrow! They range across much of North America east of the Rockies, so this was a very special visitor. Also a lifer for me!

The birb itself was also nice enough to stay and pose for pictures -- Piper Spit, Burnaby Lake, April 5
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#BurnabyLake #birds #birb #TreeSparrow #AmericanTreeSparrow

Tree Sparrow
Spizelloides arborea

Location: Guelph, ON
Camera info/settings
- Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- ISO 8000 f6.3 1/2000s
- Focal Length: 600mm

#americantreesparrow #sparrow
#spizelloidesarborea
#nature #naturephotography
#ontariowildlife #birdphotos #birdphotography
#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii

Tree Sparrow and seed ball
Spizelloides arborea

Another visitor to the seed ball.

Location: Guelph, ON
Camera info/settings
- Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- ISO 6400 f6.3 1/2000s

#americantreesparrow #sparrow
#spizelloidesarborea
#nature #naturephotography
#ontariowildlife #birdphotos #birdphotography
#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii

Stand off: Dark-eyed Junco vs. Sparrow

Junco hyemalis vs. Spizelloides arborea

Location: Guelph, ON
Camera info/settings
- Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- ISO 12800 f6.5 1/2000s

An American Tree Sparrow and a Dark-Eyed Junco were jockeying for the best spot by the feeder. The stand off lasted only a few seconds. But luckily the light was bright enough to capture some of the action. It has been cloudy and grey for the last 3 weeks. I had hopes of getting some decent photos over the winter break, but it’s has been very disappointing.

#darkeyedjunco #americantreesparrow #sparrow #junco
#juncohyemalis #spizelloidesarborea
#nature #naturephotography
#ontariowildlife #birdphotos #birdphotography
#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii

Found a few more shots of the American Tree Sparrows. I count five on the fence in the last photo. I think there's also a Dark-eyed Junco in photo 3.

#americantreesparrow #sparrow #birdnerd #birdwatching #birdphotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #birdodon #naturephotography #birds

American Tree Sparrow
Recognizing Sparrows remains challenging but I've managed to identify 11 different species so far, usually through photos and research after the fact.

I haven't seen many American Tree Sparrows but one day a bunch of them were hanging out at the border between the beach & the woods, posing nicely on the fence.

#americantreesparrow #sparrow #birdnerd #birdwatching #birdphotography #nature #naturephotography #birdodon @photography #photography #montrosebirdsanctuary