I tracked down another little grassland bird yesterday, the Henslow’s sparrow. This secretive, five-inch long bird was named by John James Audubon himself, after John Stevens Henslow. Henslow was a British naturalist who lived from 1796 to 1861. You probably haven’t heard of him, but you have most certainly heard of his most famous student. Henslow was teacher, mentor, and friend to a young man named Charles Darwin. Read on to learn more about the sparrow that bears his name, and how the kindness of a Kentucky business, along with some fast-acting birders, saved the singing sparrow in the photo below…
Henslow’s Sparrow (Centronyx henslowii) | Talon Winery | Lexington, Kentucky
500mm | 1/2,500th second | f/5.6 | ISO720
There is happy news about the Henslow’s sparrow, not only for the species in general, but for the specific birds in these photos. Like the grasshopper sparrow I recently photographed and almost all grassland species, their overall numbers are declining. But the Henslow’s sparrow has benefited from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program, which has incentivized the restoration of farmland to wildlife habitat. Populations seem to be stabilizing, and Henslow’s sparrows were “downlisted” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2018 from “near-threatened” conservation status to “least concern.” Although “least concern” sounds like no worries, it doesn’t necessarily mean all is well, but “LC” is a definite step up from “NT.”
This particular little Henslow’s sparrow made his summer home at the Talon Winery, situated in the beautiful rolling hills of horse country near Lexington. Henslow’s are not exactly rare, but they are definitely uncommon. Some sharp-eyed members of the Central Kentucky Audubon Society happened to notice these birds in a hayfield near the vineyard - a hayfield that was about to be mowed! Upon learning of the birds, the kind folks at Talon agreed without hesitation to let CKAS rope off the area and delay mowing until at least the end of July to allow any potential new sparrows to fully fledge.
Henslow’s Sparrow in the clover fields at Talon Winery near Lexington, Kentucky.
500mm | 1/2,500th second | f/6.3 | ISO640
As many as ten Henslow’s have been spotted in this field - I saw six or seven yesterday, along with at least a dozen eastern meadowlarks, another declining grassland bird. Thanks to the quick intervention of just a handful of bird-lovers, and the kindness of the good people at Talon, they are hopefully having a successful breeding season and adding to their shrinking numbers.
So, if you need a break from Zoom calls, take a drive through Kentucky’s beautiful horse country, pay a visit to our friends at Talon Winery, and see if you can spot a Henslow’s sparrow while you’re at it! (And like, share, subscribe, and all that stuff if you enjoy these images - thanks!)
Grassland habitat at Talon Winery