In this case it’s hanging upside down from Douglas Fir cones like wannabe Red-breasted Nuthatches.
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
About a month ago I got lucky with Mountain Chickadees in the mountains of the west desert. Just like the nuthatches I photographed in the same area they were stocking up on conifer seeds for the winter. More often than not they have their face almost buried in the cone so we can’t see the eye clearly but this one pulled away long enough for a photo.
I never know for sure how to crop a photo like this one to get the most pleasing composition because the bulk of the bird’s body is pointing one direction while it’s looking 90° in another. In this case I thought centering the bird horizontally worked as well as anything but I’m not convinced it’s the best choice. I cropped tightly on the bird in both photos because even though I like the setting it seems just a little busy to me if I include more of it. I have plenty of room in the frame on all four sides so my cropping options were almost limitless.
Any thoughts?
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Two minutes later my lens found another chickadee hanging from a different cone.
Notice that the bird is suddenly looking away from the cone in anticipation of flying off. When they drop down from the cone and fly away they have to plan their getaway route carefully because there’s so many nearby obstructions like branches, twigs, needles and other cones. A collision in flight wouldn’t be a good thing.
So this is the behavioral cue I watch for when I’m after takeoff shots. When I see it I usually fire off a quick burst and hope to get lucky.
This time I struck out. Chickadees are fast little buggers.
Ron
I absolutely love the tight shots of these little charmers! So special!
Good. Thanks, Marty.
Ron, love both of your photos. We have chickadees in our back yard and they are very delightful to watch. We live at 5300′ elevation so I guess they think that they are in the mountains!!
It is always fun to wake up and see what you have in store for all of us. Thank you for your great efforts.
Thanks, Alice. Are yours Mountain Chickadees or Black-capped Chickadees?
Wonderful photos. Gotta love those feather tufts on the legs.
Yes, especially in that first shot. Thanks, Lyle.
They are completely charming little critters. And of course they are confounding. I suspect they delight in messing with our minds (and don’t find it difficult) which is true of most species.
Yes, and they’re VERY good at it!
Bird shot #2 is my choice – the bird looking east of its tail is Action and you’ve retained enough canvas for the viewer’s eye to go with the bird’s eye, and thus be in the bird’s mind – what’s out there? That is excellent. If it were my shot, I’d try increasing contrast between dark top of bird’s head and fir cone behind the head; I’d try dulling down the cone behind the head a little more. .just my two euros’ worth.
Thanks for the suggestions, Martha. To be honest I almost didn’t post that second shot because the bird’s throat almost disappears against the dark background. But when I sharpened the bird the difference between the two became a little more distinct.
I loooove chickadees!! And I can read/say the word w/o thinking of the Mae West movies – “my little chickadee” – I don’t remember which movie that phrase was in?? Watched them 30 years ago 😬😬😬
Nicky, seems like that was the name of the movie – “My Little Chickadee”. I think W.C. Fields was in it too.
Yes, “birds are confounding critters,” BUT I’ll submit that they’re overall far more contemplative than we realize or have been willing to admit given the belief that we’re the top of the food chain (despite the total lack of empirical evidence [in MY opinion, worth exactly what you paid for it, LOL!). Thoughtfulness, even if it happens far more rapidly than our lackluster intellectual processes, is absolutely necessary for survival!
Chickadees are probably my favorite non-raptor. I love their boldness. They’re just plain sassy and I like that 😉 But my list of Top Ten favorite birds is fluid–at any given time, there are roughly 147 birds on there, but chickadees consistently rate at the top. That said, my cactus wren (and curved-billed thrasher, too) have surpassed my chickadee experiences! Late yesterday morning, I came out to the garage to find the cactus wren perched atop the garbage can where my bird seed stash is stored, and with me standing not 10 feet from him, he proceeded to criticize my personality, intellect and most likely my ancestors and heritage for good measure that I hadn’t yet spread bird seed! Then, he left the garage and waited on the roof while I did his bidding! If he or the curved-billed thrasher ever figure out how to open the lid on the bird seed stash, I’ll come out to find the bin empty and those guys in a major food coma!! I’m so not in charge around here. I’m merely the servant!
Oh, and as usual, what splendid photography. I love your work!
Laura, it sounds like your birds have got your number! I’d love to photograph both a Cactus Wren and a Curve-billed Thrasher one day!
You’re welcome to come for a visit!! I’m sure those two miscreants would be happy to oblige! 😉
Very nice warm light. So far my days off look dreary.
Yes, and I don’t see any relief in sight from the cloudy, stormy forecast.
I remember so many days like that when I was teaching – sunny weekdays spent in class and crappy weather on weekends. That was definitely the rule rather than the exception.
Dunno on composition…..this works well even if a bit busy. 🙂 It’s where the chickadee was….. They ARE a challenge to capture… I never tire of watching them. Yesterday a Back Cap was getting sunflower seeds from the feeder between the Grey Crowned Rosy Finches “invasion” (must be at least 50 in that flock) and trying to stuff one in the crack in the handle of an old bamboo rake! Feeders are now inside the rarely used dog kennel by the house to discourage the “darlin'” White Tailed Deer. 😉
I’m very jealous of your finches, Judy. Having them in my yard would be special for me so I hope you enjoy them.
I DO enjoy the finches other than the amount of grub they go through! 😉
Not sure what the top one would have looked like not cropped or cropped differently, but I definitely like it the way you chose. These Chickadees make very attractive photos in among the cones and conifers. After a similar post I expressed that I have never seen one here. I checked with one of our Audubon members who assured me that we do have them, but as of now I have still not run into them. Many of our smaller very quick birds are tough to catch on takeoff shots. Yesterday I had one of our eagles all set for a beautiful takeoff shot. I had previously taken many photos of him taking off from this same snag tree so I was ready. He always lifts up and then takes off to the right. Of course Murphy showed up and he dove down and rapidly flew off to the left. 🙂
Birds are confounding critters aren’t they!
I suspect you’d need to go into the mountains to improve your chances of seeing Mountain Chickadees, Everett. I don’t see them in the valleys around here but friends in Boise say they do see them occasionally at their feeders in the city.