Lark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus
In summer, Lark Sparrows will range over most of the USA west of the Appalachian Range north to the southern prairies of Canada. They prefer open grassland habitats with adjoining scattered woods and bushes, where they forage on the ground for insects and seeds. Aside from a few small pockets where they’ll stay year round in places like Oregon, California, southern Idaho, Texas and the Mexican borderland of the American Southwest, most of these birds will migrate south to Mexico for winter.
It is the females who choose the nesting site, either on the ground or low in a tree or bush. Pairs are monogamous for a season and don’t tolerate interlopers in their territory. After nesting, they’ll congregate in loose flocks, often mixing with White-Crowned and Savannah Sparrows.
Today, science recognizes two subspecies of Lark Sparrow:
- C. g. grammacus is the eastern form of the species. They breed in Wisconsin and Minnesota south through Nebraska and Kansas to Texas. They spend winters in Texas, Louisiana, and south into Mexico.
- C. g. strigatus is the western form of the species. They breed in Canada from British Columbia and Alberta to Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In the western USA they breed from Washington and Oregon to the Dakotas and south to southern California, Nevada, Arizona, and northern Mexico. They spend winters from the southern edge of their breeding range to Louisiana and southwestern Mexico.
The meetings I’ve had with Lark Sparrows have been in the western USA in California, Utah, Texas and along the southern borders of Arizona and New Mexico. During my first expedition to Texas in the spring of 2020, I spotted these birds at several locations in southern Texas. But only near Brownsville was I able to capture any photos. On my second Texas expedition in 2021, while staying near Mission in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, I found them offering better views.
45 Photos
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Female looking for nest material at the Ramona Grasslands Preserve, Ramona, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:17 8:50 |
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Location:
Ramona Grassland Preserve |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X7374-LarkSparrow |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: (Chondestes grammacus) A meeting at Goodan Ranch, Sycamore Canyon. Poway, California. San Diego County USA 2008-07-29. |
Date Taken: 2008:07:29 16:05 |
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Location:
Goodan Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: jcd9220LarkSparrow |
| © 2008 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Boulder Creek Road. In the foothills of San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2008:05:09 9:48 |
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Location:
Boulder Creek Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/3200 |
File Name: JCD5224LarkSparrow |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Boulder Creek Road. In the foothills of San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2008:05:09 9:24 |
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Location:
Boulder Creek Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/1000 |
File Name: JCD5190LarkSparrow |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Boulder Creek Road. In the foothills of San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2008:05:09 9:19 |
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Location:
Boulder Creek Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/3200 |
File Name: JCD5170LarkSparrow |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: A bird perched on yucca stalk along the Iron Mountain Trail. Poway (San Diego County), California USA 2010-07-06. |
Date Taken: 2010:07:06 10:22 |
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Location:
Iron Mountain |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: JCD2110.LarkSparrow |
| © 2010 Jack Daynes, www.shadetree-imaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Goodan Ranch, Sycamore Canyon. Poway, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2008:09:30 16:45 |
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Location:
Gooden Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 |
File Name: jcd1642LarkSparrow |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Goodan Ranch, Sycamore Canyon. Poway, California. San Diego County 2008-09-08. |
Date Taken: 2008:09:08 16:00 |
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Location:
Gooden Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: jcd0205LarkSparrow |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Passer domesticus) |
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Description: (Chondestes grammacus) A reliable place to find these birds is at Goodan Ranch, Sycamore Canyon. Poway, California. San Diego County USA 2008-09-07. |
Date Taken: 2008:09:07 15:42 |
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Location:
Goodan Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/500 |
File Name: jcd0033LarkSparrow |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Laguna/El Prado Campground, near Little Laguna Lake. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:03:28 9:34 |
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Location:
Little Laguna Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X2892-LarkSparrow |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Resident bird at the Ramona Grasslands Preserve. Ramona, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:17 8:50 |
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Location:
Ramona Grassland Preserve |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X7366-LarkSparrow |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Resident bird at the Ramona Grasslands Preserve. Ramona, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:17 8:46 |
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Location:
Ramona Grassland Preserve |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X7353-LarkSparrow |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Resident birds pairing up at the Ramona Grasslands Preserve. Ramona, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:17 8:42 |
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Location:
Ramona Grassland Preserve |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X7339-LarkSparrow |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Newly mated pair at the Ramona Grasslands Preserve, Ramona, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:17 8:39 |
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Location:
Grasslands Preserve |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 |
File Name: D3X7327-LarkSparrow |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Pamo Valley, north of Ramona, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2015:02:16 9:59 |
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Location:
Pamo Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X6416-LarkSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Pamo Valley, north of Ramona, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2015:02:16 9:59 |
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Location:
Pamo Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: D3X6409-LarkSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Community Park along Rattlesnake Creek in Poway, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 11:53 |
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Location:
Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/400 |
File Name: D3X4978-LarkSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Community Park along Rattlesnake Creek in Poway, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 11:52 |
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Location:
Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/400 |
File Name: D3X4971-LarkSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: (Chondestes grammacus) These birds are often found at Community Park along Rattlesnake Creek in Poway, California. San Diego County USA 2015-01-07. |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 11:08 |
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Location:
Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: D3X4855-LarkSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Laguna/El Prado Campground, near Little Laguna Lake. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:03:28 9:43 |
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Location:
Little Laguna Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X2940-LarkSparrow |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Goodan Ranch, Sycamore Canyon. Poway, California. San Diego County 2008-06-14. |
Date Taken: 2008:06:14 11:42 |
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Location:
Gooden Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 |
File Name: JCD6962LarkSparrow |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Rustler Park near the higher elevations of the Chiricahua Mountains. South Eastern Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2003:08:27 18:37 |
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Location:
Rustler Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: JCD_1142LarkSparrow |
| © 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Antelope Island State Park is one of the most memorable birding locations I've had the pleasure of visiting. It sits north of Salt Lake City Utah near the community of Layton. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:17 10:05 |
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Location:
Antelope Island |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/9.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_D5X5993-AntelopeIsland |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Milk Ranch Road, near Cuyamaca Mountain. South of Julian, California. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:06:15 10:21 |
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Location:
Cuyamaca |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X9756-LarkSparrow |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Antelope Island State Park, north of Salt Lake City, Utah. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:10 11:22 |
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Location:
Antelope Island |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X0495-LarkSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Antelope Island State Park, north of Salt Lake City, Utah. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:10 11:13 |
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Location:
Antelope Island |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X0484-LarkSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Resident bird at the Ramona Grasslands Preserve. Ramona, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:17 8:50 |
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Location:
Ramona Grassland Preserve |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X7366-LarkSparrow |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Bicknell Bottoms south of Bicknell, Utah. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:08 15:37 |
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Location:
Bicknell Bottoms |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X0284-LarkSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Midway between Brownsville and Boca Chica Beach in south Texas is Palmito Hill Ranch, the site of the last battle of the Civil War. Lark Sparrows haunted the low grasslands of the valley floor. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:27 8:58 |
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Location:
Palmito Hill |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_D508787-Palmito-Hill-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: I’d seen Lark Sparrows elsewhere in Texas, but until this day, they were too shy for decent photographs. I visited Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park Friday, three days earlier during a freak cold weather event that had a firm grip on most life forms. With my repaired bicycle under me, and somewhat warmer weather, I explored all the paths the park would allow and spent a lovely day capturing wildlife images. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:18 9:25 |
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Location:
Bentsen RGV State Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_D5X2591-Bentsen-RGV-SP |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
|
Description: I’d seen Lark Sparrows elsewhere in Texas, but until this day, they were too shy for decent photographs. I visited Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park Friday, three days earlier during a freak cold weather event that had a firm grip on most life forms. With my repaired bicycle under me, and somewhat warmer weather, I explored all the paths the park would allow and spent a lovely day capturing wildlife images. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:18 9:26 |
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Location:
Bentsen RGV State Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_D5X2626-Bentsen-RGV-SP |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
|
Description: I’d seen Lark Sparrows elsewhere in Texas, but until this day, they were too shy for decent photographs. I visited Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park Friday, three days earlier during a freak cold weather event that had a firm grip on most life forms. With my repaired bicycle under me, and somewhat warmer weather, I explored all the paths the park would allow and spent a lovely day capturing wildlife images. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:18 9:28 |
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Location:
Bentsen RGV State Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_D5X2676-Bentsen-RGV-SP |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: (Documenary quality photo) Many birds are attracted to the stored water in Ayer Lake at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona is a well known desert oasis and a great place to meet birds. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:23 16:35 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_D5X4530-Boyce-Thompson-Arboretum |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Lark Sparrows I met in Texas were consistently shyer than those I met in California. Sunday was the 2nd day of the great warbler fallout, but unlike Saturday’s expedition, the sun shone through to light her subjects. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:18 13:49 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/6000 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_D5X7975-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
|
Description: Lark Sparrows I met in Texas were consistently shyer than those I met in California. Sunday was the 2nd day of the great warbler fallout, but unlike Saturday’s expedition, the sun shone through to light her subjects. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:18 13:39 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/6000 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_D5X7966-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Lark Sparrows here in south Texas are shyer than those I’ve met in the west. It was a bright Sunday on South Padre Island, and I stayed over 9 hours. I started the morning with an hour at Sheepshead Sanctuary and drove to the Convention Centre for the rest of the day, and met a couple of birds new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:02 17:40 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1500 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_D5X5396_SPI-ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: I found Lark Sparrows on SPI to be more shy than those I meet in the west. I began and ended my last day on South Padre Island, visiting the grounds that treated me to so many encounters with migrant birds. Between these times I walked out to the sand flats north of the Convention CentreConvention Center to look for shorebirds and terns. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:08 11:05 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_D5X7706_SPI-ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: I spent a long, hot, Arizona summer day visiting the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia. For much of this visit I experimented with camera settings (ISO), and I learned what *not* to do. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:13 12:54 |
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Location:
Paton Center for Hummingbirds |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_Z9X2691_Patons-Patagonia-AZ |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
|
Description: I spent a long, hot, Arizona summer day visiting the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia. For much of this visit I experimented with camera settings (ISO), and I learned what *not* to do. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:13 12:54 |
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Location:
Paton Center for Hummingbirds |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_Z9X2674_Patons-Patagonia-AZ |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: On my 2023 tour of North America, I paid my third visit to Kickapoo Caverns State Park outside of Brackettville Texas. Unlike my first two visits, this time, there were plenty of birds to meet. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:02 16:18 |
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Location:
Kickapoo Caverns State Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_Z9X6997_KickapooCaverns-TX |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: On my 2023 tour of North America, I paid my third visit to Kickapoo Caverns State Park outside of Brackettville Texas. Unlike my first two visits, this time, there were plenty of birds to meet. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:02 16:17 |
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Location:
Kickapoo Caverns State Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_Z9X6960_KickapooCaverns-TX |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: These Lark Sparrows could be migrating, but some will stay year round in south Texas. |
Date Taken: 2024:04:22 15:45 |
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Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: LarkSparrow_Z9X2227_SPI-ConventionCentre |
| © 2024 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Hot Spring Mountain is the highest peak in San Diego County at 6,535 feet elevation. A primitive access road leads to its highest point with interesting birds to be met at each level. 2004-05-21 |
Date Taken: 2004:05:21 9:53 |
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Location:
Hot Spring Mountain |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: JCD_6694LarkSparrow |
| © 2004 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Meetings I enjoyed at Lake Poway. San Diego County California 2009-05-10. |
Date Taken: 2009:05:10 18:00 |
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Location:
Lake Poway |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: JCD8087.LarkSparrow |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus) |
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Description: Boulder Creek Road. In the foothills of San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2008:05:09 10:34 |
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Location:
Boulder Creek Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1500 |
File Name: JCD5265LarkSparrow |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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