Máistir Nádúraí: Zono Invasion! Wave II begins...

5.02.2007

Zono Invasion! Wave II begins...

For some reason, I totally forgot about the White-crowned Sparrows in my backyard after work yesterday and instead went birding at Pheasant Branch Conservancy (perhaps because of the thrill from seeing all the warblers the previous day?) Anyway, by the time I got home the shadows were too long to capture the sparrows in good light. Though it was painful not to stop at Pheasant Branch this evening, I remembered just how good those sparrows were going to look and headed straight home. So without further delay, I give you Zonotrichia leucophrys, the White-crowned Sparrow, and the way they were meant to be captured in images. I've waited so long for this moment...

Bio:

Mike McDowell has been documenting southern Wisconsin’s flora and fauna since 1987 and began leading field trips in 2002. Prolific at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, other highlighted natural areas include Pope Farm Conservancy, Spring Green Preserve, and the Baraboo Hills. His nature photography has appeared in various publications, newspapers, magazines and was even featured on a Wisconsin Endangered Resources license plate, a Capital Brewery beer label, and a National Geographic publication. He began journaling nature observations on this blog in 2005. He's the recipient of the 2012 Bronze Passenger Pigeon Award from the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their local communities or state to promote the field of ornithology. He was a finalist in Swarovski’s Digiscoper of the Year photography contest several times. His other interests include insect macro-photography (especially tiger beetles, treehoppers, and robber flies), fossil collecting, amateur astronomy, botany, natural history, and marksmanship with long-range rifles. Once a gigging musician, collecting Fender Stratocasters is a recently revived interest—most prized being a 1957 Vintage Custom Shop 'Mary Kaye' White Blonde. A former IT Professional, he's spent the last 24 years employed in the sport optics industry.