Timing and Location are Everything

While Simon and I where in Maryland we hear about a rare sighting of Le Conte's  Sparrow to the northwest of Baltimore. So, we grabbed the cameras hopped in the car and headed for Irvine Nature Center in Owings Mills. Once there we talked a helpful attendant who was able to point us in the right direction where she said a small crowd had gathered in hopes of seeing the sparrow. We got a little more excited about our prospects of seeing the Le Conte's for the first time. 

Le Conte's Sparrow

We walked briskly through the woods behind the center's main building, and it was a short stroll along side a small open field where we saw several Savannah Sparrows and Tree Swallows. We could see the marshy area where the Le Conte's had been spotted for the last several days, and a small group of seven or eight people had gathered there. As we made our way toward all but three people departed and back toward the woods. Just a couple of minutes later, as we neared the marsh, we heard one of the birders say, "There it is!" And sure enough there it was perched in the fork of a small sapling at the edge of the marsh. 

The sparrow perched there a little while then moved quickly to several other strands of grass near the ground. Then as quick as it came it quickly flew away from the marsh and over the field and out of sight. The people who had left just before we arrived left two minutes early, and anyone who came after was too late. We were in the right place at the right time. Location and timing are sometimes everything.

Tree Swallow

Pair of Savannah Sparrows