Tag Archives: savannah sparrow

Birding trips at Cape May New Jersey, Birding Trips in New Jersey

A Savannah Sparrow encounter at Barnegat Lighthouse SP in eastern NJ

By Sally SIko

While birding up at Barnegat lighthouse State Park in Eastern New Jersey. I spotted this sweet little Savannah Sparrow pecking on the jetty rocks.
Another birder (a local gentleman named Larry) was watching the bird as well and mentioned that this was likely an Ipswich sparrow. He explained to me that the Ipswich sparrow was a sub species of the Savannah, and was only found along the north Atlantic coast during the winter.


I was intrigued immediately, and upon further research learned that there are actually 28 distinct different subspecies of the Savannah Sparrow!
Each subspecies varies a bit in bill size and degrees of darker/ lighter coloration but all share a general overall look with brown striping on their breasts.
The thing to look for is that distinctive yellowish spot on the lore in front of and on top of their eye.
The first 3 photos in this post show the Ipswich subspecies that I found in New Jersey, the second two photos below show a Savannah sparrow that I photographed in Raleigh a couple of weeks ago.


As you can see, they look similar, but the Ipswich variety appears a bit lighter overall in color than the one I photographed in North Carolina.
This encounter was a happy reminder that there is always something new to learn about the birds we see everyday.
That’s a darn good reason to keep at this IMO 😉



Like many sparrow species, Savannahs are voracious insect eaters and prefer to forage in habitats of open short grass fields containing piles of scrubby brush.
As seen here, they also inhabit beaches, tidal salt marshes, ponds and estuaries during the winter where the likely-hood of finding a six or eight legged snack near the water is greatly increased.
Look for them this winter in central and eastern regions of the mid Atlantic and New England from now through May and again in June-August in the mountains of western part of the Carolinas.

By the way, I’ve added more than 80 new birding tour dates to my Best Life Birding trip schedule.
Check out the calendar below and book your next birding adventure with me today!



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

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Savannah Sparrows in North Carolina

By Sally Siko

One of eastern North Carolina’s most familiar birds is the Savannah Sparrow. I spotted several last weekend while birding at the Alligator River NWR.
Though they’re not the flashiest of species, Savannahs are pretty darn cute and entertaining to watch.



These little guys look similar to other sparrows with brown striping on their breasts so they can be difficult to ID at a distance. The thing to look for is that distinctive yellowish spot on the lore in front of and on top of their eye.They were first named for Savannah, Georgia, (the city in which they were originally identified) yet they boast a wide range stretching from the northern shores of the Arctic Ocean, Canada, the United States and down into the southernmost regions of Mexico.



Like many sparrow species, Savannahs are voracious insect eaters and prefer to forage in habitats of open short grass fields containing piles of scrubby brush.As is the case with this sweet little bird featured in these photos, they also inhabit the canals of our agricultural fields, tidal salt marshes, ponds and estuaries during the winter where the likely-hood of finding a six or eight legged snack near the water is greatly increased.

Look for them in central and eastern North Carolina from September through May and June-August in the mountains of western part of the state.

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Savannah Sparrows on Mid Pines Rd, Raleigh

By Sally Siko

While birding along Mid Pines Rd at the Agricultural Unit of the NC State campus in Raleigh NC, I encountered a small flock of Savannah Sparrows chilling out on the fence line.
I pished at ‘em a few times and managed to coax a couple to fly in a bit closer so that I could get a better look.
It was fun to sit there for a few minutes watching the antics of these tiny floofs shaking off the water droplets and preening in the light rain.



These little guys look similar to other sparrows with brown striping on their breasts so they can be difficult to ID at a distance.
The thing to look for is that distinctive yellowish spot on the lore in front of and on top of their eye.
In yet another case of a bird with a seemingly nonsensical moniker, they were first named for Savannah, Georgia, (supposedly the city in which they were originally identified) yet they boast a wide range stretching from the northern shores of the Arctic Ocean, Canada, the United States and down into the southernmost regions of Mexico.



Like many sparrow species, Savannahs are voracious insect eaters and prefer to forage in habitats of open short grass fields containing piles of scrubby brush.
They also inhabit North Carolina’s tidal salt marshes, ponds and estuaries during the winter where the likely-hood of finding a six or eight legged snack near the water is greatly increased.

Look for them this winter in central and eastern regions North Carolina from now through May and again in June-August in the mountains of western part of our state.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Savannah Sparrow at the Pea Island NWR

Check out this sweet Savannah Sparrow! My guests and I spotted this one while on a recent birding trip to the Pea Island NWR in eastern North Carolina.
Although they do breed in the Appalachian Mountains, Savannah Sparrows are a far more common sight during the winter throughout the rest of the state.
I think I saw at least 40 of them during my visit to the OBX which was pretty cool!

These little guys look similar to other sparrows with brown striping on their breasts so they can be difficult to ID at a distance. The thing to look for is that distinctive yellowish spot on the lore in front of and on top of their eye.
They were first named for Savannah, Georgia, (the city in which they were originally identified) yet they boast a wide range stretching from the northern shores of the Arctic Ocean, Canada, the United States and down into the southernmost regions of Mexico.

Like many sparrow species, Savannahs are voracious insect eaters and prefer to forage in habitats of open short grass fields containing piles of scrubby brush.
As is the case with this sweet little bird featured in these photos, they also inhabit our tidal salt marshes, ponds and estuaries during the winter where the likely-hood of finding a six or eight legged snack near the water is greatly increased.


Look for them in central and eastern North Carolina from September through May and June-August in the mountains of western part of the state.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
#5Ds