Day 10: Swamp Sparrow

I met an adorable little friend over the weekend. Jared and I stopped at a pond to look for ducks close to Ocean City. When we walked to the shore of the pond, we noticed a Swamp Sparrow hopping around in the rushes only a few feet away. Since I foolishly had not brought my camera, I ran back to the car to grab it, hoping the sparrow would stick around. When I returned, the little guy posed for the camera for a good 15 minutes, happily jumping from twig to twig right in front of me.

 

The Swamp Sparrow is a common bird in the eastern U.S., but it was still fascinating to see it up close and to observe its behavior for a period of time. Usually, it is a pretty elusive bird, and is more easily detected by its call than by sight. As its name suggests, the Swamp Sparrow prefers marshes with open water, brushy meadows, bogs, and swamps.

 

Adults have streaked rusty, buff and black upperparts with a gray breast, light belly and a white throat. Winter adults usually have two brown crown stripes and much of the gray is replaced with buff.

While I was observing the Swamp Sparrow, I noticed a cat watching silently from a dumped mattress along the shore, only a short distance away. The cat clearly had its eyes on my little sparrow friend, tensing up each time the bird would fly closer. Ultimately, Jared and I decided to scare the cat away and save the bird, at least for the time being. Hopefully it will wise-up before becoming another cat's meal!