The Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow in the Everglades

Sparrows never elicit the response that a scarlet tanager or baltimore oriole get.  These L.B.J.s (little brown jobs), nevertheless have interesting lives and the more scrutiny they get the more they are appreciated.  Seaside Sparrows, as their name suggests, inhabit saltwater and brackish marshes.  There are a number of variations of this species all varying somewhat in coloration and locations.  One variation called the Dusky Seaside Sparrow is extinct.  The last one (a captured bird) died June 16, 1987.  The Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow is teetering on the edge.  It breeds in a small area in southern Florida. 

As I drove into Everglades National Park I was not optimistic that I would be able to find this endangered species let alone photograph it.  Twenty miles from the park entrance I pulled off the road and begin walking and listening.  I had almost a half an hour before the sun rose and the only traffic was a few fisherman trailering their boats down to Flamingo.  Within 15 minutes I had located a singing bird but it was far off the road and barely visible with binoculars.  I had hoped to shoot from the roadside but I had no choice but to shoulder my equipment and hike in.   A list of poisonous snakes living in the Everglades ran through my mind as I worked my way to the bird.

Suddenly the bird flew towards me.  I was not expecting this since grassland sparrows generally disappear rather quickly as you approach them.  This one had some personality and even seemed curious at first.  It soon forgot about me and got down to bird business, which at the moment was having a song duel with another sparrow in the far distance.  It allowed me to reposition my tripod and get closer many times while it tried to shout down the distant bird.  My only problem was that it was so intent on his competitor that he kept his back to me for about 90 % of the time.

Our record on saving endangered species is not very good.  Having experienced this brief little episode in the life of this personable little bird I will be very sad to read some time that the last one has died and it's song and personality extinguished forever.