I hit the Lakefront in Milwaukee early this morning to see it the Piping Plovers were still present at Bradford Beach. While photographing them I received a text from Mark K that he had just found a Le Conte’s Sparrow at the Magic Hedge. I was only a couple blocks away and away I went. I found the beautiful Le Conte’s Sparrow after about 10 minutes on the ground sifting through low ground cover getting gnats. The bird remained in about a 50′ section of the hedge while I was there. The bird briefly perched twice giving pretty nice views. The rest of the time it worked the ground cover and leaves for gnats and was hard to see at times. At times the bird would be still and not move for up to 5 minutes. This bird I have struggled with to get on my life list for the last 8 years. Crazy enough, Mark and I were just talking about this bird yesterday as one I needed for my life list! What a stunning bird. It was another overcast day, chilly, and winds from the SE but a very exciting one at that. About all I can say is the images show pretty much of what took place at the Magic Hedge today. Images were taken on May 2, 2017.
Le Conte’s Sparrow
Binomial name: Ammodramus leconteii
Category: Emberizids
Size: 5” long, 6.5” wing span
Weight: .46 oz