Grasshopper Sparrow

This is a super heavy crop - it represents less than 10% of the original frame - but I think the detail held up well-enough for presentation. I hear this species in suitable Bay Area habitat all the time, but this was the closest I'd ever been to any representative. It's sometimes difficult to appreciate the subtlest plumage characteristics in the field, like the thin rufous streaks on the nape, so it's really satisfying to capture a photo which reveals what might be otherwise overlooked. Doubtful I'll ever encounter an individual so cooperative again.

Russian Ridge, San Mateo County, California, 5/28/20
Canon 600mm f/4 IS II + 1.4x TC III on EOS 5D Mark IV
1/2500 at f/7.1, ISO 1000