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This Morning Outsideby Diane PorterMay 21, 2010 In the grassy field, a grasshopper sparrows takes a bath in the dew on a flower umbel. Look at the feet holding on at the base of the flower head, while the breast rubs against the wet flowers.
You don't see the grasshopper sparrows until you get out into the unmowed field.
Sing might be too grand a word for what comes out of a grasshopper sparrow. Grasshopper sparrows sound like — well, grasshoppers. The song is just a buzzy trill. The bird was a male. You can't tell a grasshopper's gender by appearance, as male and female look exactly alike. But only the male sings this extended song from a conspicuous perch. This fellow's buzzes carried a long way across the grass. —Diane Porter |
This fellow spent half an hour bathing in the morning dew on the flower heads of wild parsnips. He fluttered his wings and rubbed his breast in the flower. Every few seconds he would pause to raise his head and sing.