Brewer’s Sparrow
Spizella breweri
We usually find Brewer’s Sparrows in sagebrush and scrub habitat. They breed in the Great Basin, from the Rockies to the Sierra Nevada ranges. For a thousand miles north of the rest of its Brewer’s Sparrow cousins, the “Timberline Sparrow” (subspecies S. b. taverneri) makes its summer home. For a long time, science considered the Timberline Sparrow a separate species. Even to this day, some authorities maintain this view.
The great Harry Swarth, esteemed colleague of Joseph Grinnell, was part of the team that first described S. b. taverneri in 1925. I’m proud to say I’ve met two of his descendants and remain friends with his grandson, Chris Swarth to this day. Chris’s own credentials as a birder and naturalist are substantial.
This plain looking little sparrow has one of the bird world’s most interesting songs, which it loves to sing from elevated perches, even in winter. Boisterous and variable, it is ripe with trills and buzzy sounds.
Today, science recognises two subspecies of Brewer’s Sparrow:
- S. b. breweri breeds from southern Canada and the western USA states south to California, northern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico. After breeding ends, many fly south as far as Baja California and the central plateau of Mexico.
- S. b. taverneri breeds in southeastern Alaska and western Canada, then flies south to join the rest of their clan for the winter.
Many of my meetings with this species have come from all over California. But I’ve also enjoyed their company in southern Oregon, in south-central Arizona, and in the Rio Grande Valley south of Langtry in Texas.
33 Photos
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: (Spizella breweri) My first encounter with this species was at Little Blair Valley Road. Anza Borrego, Northeast San Diego County, California USA 2009-04-09. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:09 7:57 |
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Location:
Blair Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: jcd4988.BrewersSparrow |
| © 2009 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Juvenile west of Highway 395, north of June Lake Junction. Mono County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:08 10:42 |
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Location:
June Lake Junction |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X7351-BrewersSparrow-Juvenile |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: At the northeastern edge of June Lake, where sage meets shore. Mono County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:07 8:17 |
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Location:
June Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X6943-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: At the northeastern edge of June Lake, where sage meets shore. Mono County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:07 8:16 |
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Location:
June Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X6941-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: (Spizella breweri) Cut-out image of a bird I met in Little Blair Valley Road. Anza Borrego, Northeast San Diego County, California USA 2009-04-09. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:09 7:57 |
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Location:
Blair Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: Cut_jcd4988.BrewersSparrow |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: West of Highway 395, north of June Lake Junction. Mono County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:08 10:43 |
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Location:
June Lake Junction |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/400 |
File Name: D3X7352-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: (Spizella breweri) My first encounter with this species was at Little Blair Valley Road. Anza Borrego, Northeast San Diego County, California USA 2009-04-09. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:09 7:53 |
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Location:
Blair Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: jcd4934.BrewersSparrow |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadetree-imaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: (Spizella breweri) A juvenile bird I met at the South Tufa shores of Mono Lake. Mono County, California USA 2014-08-08. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:08 13:03 |
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Location:
Mono Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X7427-BrewersSparrow-Juvenile |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Adult bird found west of Highway 395, north of June Lake Junction. Mono County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:08 10:43 |
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Location:
June Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X7360-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Juvenile bird found west of Highway 395, north of June Lake Junction. Mono County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:08 10:43 |
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Location:
June Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X7358-BrewersSparrow-Juvenile |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: West of Highway 395, north of June Lake Junction. Mono County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:08 10:43 |
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Location:
June Lake Junction |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X7354-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: 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 15:58 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: BrewersSparrow_D5X4236-Boyce-Thompson-Arboretum |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Camped with the Science Team from the San Diego Natural History Museum at Granite Wells and gathering data as a followup study from previous studies of about 80 years prior. Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County, California. |
Date Taken: 2016:12:01 10:58 |
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Location:
Granite Well |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: BrewersSparrow_D5X1559 |
| © 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: On the road to South Tufa near Lee Vining California. |
Date Taken: 2016:05:08 13:06 |
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Location:
Mono Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D72-1761-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: On the road to South Tufa near Lee Vining California. |
Date Taken: 2016:05:08 13:03 |
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Location:
Mono Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D72-1744-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Good Sagebrush Sparrow, Sage Thrasher and Brewer's Sparrow habitat. Along Highway 140 that travels between Denio Nevada, through northern Nevada to Adel Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:04 12:14 |
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Location:
Highway 140 |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X8392-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Good Sagebrush Sparrow, Sage Thrasher and Brewer's Sparrow habitat. Along Highway 140 that travels between Denio Nevada, through northern Nevada to Adel Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:04 12:11 |
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Location:
Highway 140 |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X8366-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Tubb Canyon Trail in Anza-Borrego State Park, near Culp Valley. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:02:26 9:30 |
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Location:
Tubb Canyon Trail |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X3162-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: (Spizella breweri) A bird in Sabino Canyon Recreation Area in northern Tucson Arizona. USA 2017-04-25 |
Date Taken: 2017:04:25 14:42 |
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Location:
Sabino Canyon |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: BrewersSparrow_D5X7624 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Tubb Canyon Trail in Anza-Borrego State Park, near Culp Valley. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:02:26 9:29 |
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Location:
Tubb Canyon Trail |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X3157-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Viewed while traversing the Siskiyou Mountains from the Applegate Valley to Mount Ashland Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:11 15:04 |
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Location:
Siskiyou Mountains |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X0037-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Met while traversing the Siskiyou Mountains from the Applegate Valley to Mount Ashland Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:11 15:04 |
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Location:
Siskiyou Mountains |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/3200 |
File Name: D3X0044-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: These Brewer's Sparrows come to Texas in winter to hang out with the Black-Throated Sparrows who live here. A half mile southeast of Langtry Texas, flows the Rio Grande. A short drive from the settlement brings the traveler to relatively undisturbed Chihuahuan Desert habitat. |
Date Taken: 2021:01:08 11:57 |
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Location:
Rio Grande Overlook |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/8000 |
File Name: BrewersSparrow_D5X9583-Langtry-TX |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
|
Description: These Brewer's Sparrows come to Texas in winter to hang out with the Black-Throated Sparrows who live here. A half mile southeast of Langtry Texas, flows the Rio Grande. A short drive from the settlement brings the traveler to relatively undisturbed Chihuahuan Desert habitat. |
Date Taken: 2021:01:08 11:16 |
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Location:
Rio Grande Overlook |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: BrewersSparrow_D5X9436-Langtry-TX |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
|
Description: These Brewer's Sparrows come to Texas to hang out with the Black-Throated Sparrows who live here. A half mile southeast of Langtry Texas flows the Rio Grande. A short drive from the settlment brings the traveler to relatively undisturned Chihuahuan Desert habitat. |
Date Taken: 2021:01:08 11:14 |
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Location:
Rio Grande Overlook |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: BrewersSparrow_D5X9382-Langtry-TX |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: On the road to South Tufa near Lee Vining California. |
Date Taken: 2016:05:08 13:03 |
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Location:
Mono Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D72-1736-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Tubb Canyon Trail in Anza-Borrego State Park, near Culp Valley. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:02:26 12:42 |
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Location:
Tubb Canyon Trail |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X3250-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Sabino Canyon Recreation Area in northern Tucson Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:25 14:47 |
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Location:
Sabino Canyon |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: BrewersSparrow_D5X7662 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: (Spizella breweri) A bird in Sabino Canyon Recreation Area in northern Tucson Arizona. USA 2017-04-25 |
Date Taken: 2017:04:25 14:48 |
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Location:
Sabino Canyon |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: BrewersSparrow_D5X7669 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
|
Description: Good Sagebrush Sparrow, Sage Thrasher and Brewer's Sparrow habitat. Along Highway 140 that travels between Denio Nevada, through northern Nevada to Adel Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:04 12:13 |
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Location:
Highway 140 |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X8375-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
|
Description: Good Sagebrush Sparrow, Sage Thrasher and Brewer's Sparrow habitat. Along Highway 140 that travels between Denio Nevada, through northern Nevada to Adel Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:04 12:13 |
|
Location:
Highway 140 |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: D3X8383-BrewersSparrow |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Camped with the San Diego Natural History team near Campo California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2017:10:27 7:55 |
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Location:
Clover Flat |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: BrewersSparrow_D5X5880-CloverFlats |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Brewer's Sparrow(Spizella breweri) |
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Description: Sabino Canyon Recreation Area in northern Tucson Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:25 14:48 |
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Location:
Sabino Canyon |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: BrewersSparrow_D5X7675 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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