Swamp Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow standing in about one inch of water with a piece of water plant stretched from its bill to the water.
Swamp Sparrow, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Marsh Boardwalk, Fort Worth, TX, February 6 2022
Canon EOS 5Ds R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-800; f/6.3; 1/1000 sec.

This page is for the Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana). My first photographic evidence occurred on February 6, 2022 at the Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX. I had seen Carolina Wrens in the shallow water area of the Marsh near the boardwalk and thought I would see if I could get some shots of it again. Instead, this guy was flying back and forth between the water and the nearby reeds. I thought it was a Song Sparrow while in the field, but the Merlin App consistently informed me that it was a Swamp Sparrow (which I had never heard of before 2/6/22). So I did some more research and comparative analysis of photographs and confirmed the Swamp Sparrow. It is always exciting when I add a new species to my life list.

Swamp Sparrow perched on a small branch deep in the brush.
Swamp Sparrow, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, January 7, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 661 mm; ISO-1250; f/10; 1/500 sec.
Swamp Sparrow perched on a reed.
Swamp Sparrow, Cement Creek Reservoir, Fort Worth TX, March 1, 2025
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-320; f/10; 1/800 sec.