It seems odd that with sparrows Passer domesticus being a common (and introduced) bird here in NZ, I've taken so few pictures of them. It reflects I guess, my strong preference for photographing native birds rather than introduced. The population in NZ is based on releases in the late 1800s and sparrows flourished.

I guess the two main challenges is that they are a reasonably drab bird and they're also relatively small. The first issue makes it difficult to take a picture that pops out at you. Rainbow lorikeets are much easier :)  The second is you have to be very close to get a view of the bird that doesn't require heroic cropping.

I managed both feats last week down at Lake Pupuke. Timing was in the early evening during the golden hour.  And with no-one else around, the birds seemed a little less wary. 

One female sparrow was reasonably photogenic, posing in some lovely early evening light. Shots taken with my a700 and 300/4 G lens.

SatedFemale sparrow taking a rest from an early evening meal

Close-up of the bird
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