![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/black-capped-chickadee-6936b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"black-capped-chickadee-6936b-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nIn this case it’s hanging upside down from Douglas Fir cones like wannabe Red-breasted Nuthatches.<\/p>\n
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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<\/em><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u00b0 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.<\/p>\n Any thoughts?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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<\/em><\/p>\n Two minutes later my lens found another chickadee hanging from a different cone.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n This time I struck out. Chickadees are fast little buggers.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In this case it’s hanging upside down from Douglas Fir cones like wannabe Red-breasted Nuthatches.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/black-capped-chickadee-7165-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"black-capped-chickadee-7165-ron-dudley\\"")
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