Chipping Sparrow in Cobbs Creek Park

In Albums: birds Philadelphia

Chipping sparrow feeding in weedy grass, with abundant dandelion flowers and seedheads

May 2nd, 2011, by Alex Zorach

This picture shows the distinctive breeding plumage markings of the chipping sparrow: red crown, bold white supercilium, and a bold black stripe through the eye, and a plain gray breast) but also captures something about habitat.

I saw this sparrow in a small flock of chipping sparrows; although the sparrows do breed in this area, there were so many at once that I think part of this group was just migrating through.

I photographed this chipping sparrow in Cobbs Creek Park, near the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center in West Philadelphia. This is one of many good spots for birding in Philadelphia.