Audubon Plate # 139, Field Sparrow    $200

Print size: 26 1/4" x 39 1/4"; image size: 11 1/2" x 18 1/2"

This print was based on a painting dated July 11, 1829, the day on which the artist left Great Egg Harbor, New Jersey, after a visit of four weeks.  Audubon wrote of it:   "Travelling from Egg Harbor towards Philadelphia, I found a nest of this species placed at the foot of a bush growing in almost pure sand.  Near it were the plants which you see accompanying the figure."

A pink bill and plain breast are characteristic field marks of this bird, and the term "field" is a bit misleading as it is rarely seen in cultivated fields, but rather in woodland borders or old pasture lots growing up with weeds and bushes.  It is a persistent singer and from a singing perch, usually atop a bush or small tree, it sends forth its clear, sweet, and melancholy notes.  EHJ