By Sally Siko

Pleased to get a nice look at a Swamp Sparrow last month while birding in eastern NC.
I’d been cruising the gravel roads at a refuge, slow rolling with my windows down listening for birds hiding in the woods which lined the roadside.
It didn’t take long before I heard the familiar calls of Swamp Sparrows so I pulled over and walked over to the scrubby trees to get a better look.
Happily one popped out from the tangled brush which gave me the perfect opportunity to grab a few pics.

Although Swamp Sparrows are a relatively common find during the winter in North Carolina, they are a bit shy and tend to forage in muddy/ marsh areas which can be difficult to access at times.
Indeed as their name implies they can be found in swamps, bogs, wet fields and near ponds with brushy shorelines.
 Their diet consists of seeds, small berries, and aquatic invertebrates.
They’ve got unusually long legs (for a sparrow) which allows them to hunt for insects in shallow water.



Swamp Sparrows breed in eastern Canada and throughout the north/ north eastern regions of the United States.
Each autumn, they flock together moving south into the mid Atlantic and southeastern United States including right here in North Carolina to spend the winter in warmer locals.
With a local range stretching from the mountains to the coast, they are generally found more frequently in the eastern half of the Tarheel State from now through late April or early May.
This means there’s still plenty of time for you to see one this year 😉

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5