Sparrow safari

Grasshopper sparrow

I knew I'd made a convert when I saw my husband creeping stealthily through tall grass like a hunter intent on bagging his first rhinoceros--but then he slowly lifted the camera and snapped a photo of a sparrow.

I generally don't take my husband on birding expeditions (busy schedule, other priorities, etc.), so I warned him this morning that he ought to take a book in case he got bored while my birding-and-botanizing buddy and I stalked reclusive sparrows.

These weren't just any sparrows: they're the Henslow's sparrow and the grasshopper sparrow, both tiny species that have recently returned to grassland habitat on restored strip-mining land at The Wilds (more here). Both sparrows hide well in tall grass and their calls are so soft that they're easily mistaken for insects buzzing, so we spent a lot of time standing at the roadside with hands cupped around our ears just listening intently--a pursuit distinctly lacking in moments of high drama.

Henslow's sparrow (my husband's shot)

I was fetching something from the car when my B&B buddy spotted the Henslow's sparrow, but by the time I got back to the prime viewing spot, the camera was gone and my husband was sneaking at a crouch through the tall grass.

We saw meadowlarks and horned larks, kingbirds and red-winged blackbirds and barn swallows and possibly even bobolinks, but to my eyes the most amazing sight was my husband stalking the elusive sparrow. I need to take the man birding more often--and get the man a camera!

Reclaimed strip-mining land at The Wilds