Sunday, February 27, 2011

Chickadee In A Tree

So, what did I find on that tree in my last post? Well, I guess you can already see that it was this black-capped chickadee. I love these little birds. They are the one kind of critter that has been here all winter. And they are such friendly and curious little things.

Black-capped chickadees will fly in very close. And they don't mind me getting close to them to get my pictures. They usually make sure there are some branches between us if they are resting, but they don't mind me one bit.

I had some more pictures of one of these birds a few weeks ago, but it was my first time getting back out in a while and my camera settings were wrong. So the pictures were bad and I couldn't show them to you. Pictures are funny like that. The new one above wasn't perfect so I had to sharpen it up a bit.

The animals don't always cooperate either. You can stand there begging and pleading with them to pose in just the right way, but they seem more restless than a bunch of little kids. Then your picture comes out clear, but your critter is distracted by something shiny in the other direction.

But what can you do? The only answer is to get as many pictures as you can. That's the great thing about digital cameras. You can get hundreds of pictures in one trip. And if you get out often you will probably end up with a few great shots. Check my last post for one of those.

Oh, before I go on I want to say hi to those of you who get my posts through email, especially who has sent me a few encouraging messages. Thanks, they are really appreciated. I won't mention names because email is generally a private thing. It's just nice to hear from people who appreciate these posts.

Now, even though it appears you can only see the wrong end of this little chickadee this is actually an interesting picture. Notice that you can see only one of the bird's legs. Take a close look at that little broken branch sticking straight up just left of the bird. There's his foot grabbing ahold of that branch! See? Interesting!

But the bird still isn't posing the way I want him to. Animals never seem to want to cooperate for some reason. But my subject for the next post is a little more agreeable. It stands there looking right at me. You'll never guess what it might be. You'll just have to come back to find out. It'll be fun.


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14 comments:

  1. I love these pictures..I'm pretty sure we don't have this bird in the UK!!

    I know what you mean about digital cameras...gone are the days of getting a bunch of photos developed that don't have anything but blurs in them...it is one of my favourite modern day inventions!!!

    Looking forward to seeing which critter co-operated nicely.. :-)

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  2. They fly down for one seed and back to their roost around the feeders. The face covers the eye color unless you have a good sun angle. When i get something good I thank my subject which often sends them away. I have shot over 600 photos this month and push out a lot.

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  3. The little bird posed like a dog, when the latter does the pissing job.

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  4. this is mostly what I see in my front yard and I just love them. They are funny because they'll fly to the feeder grab a seed then fly over to the front porch to eat it. They go back and forth like that until they've had their fill

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  5. I adore Chickadees. Dang... your last photo was my favorite. Outstanding capture!

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  6. Chickadees are my favorite birds. They are cute, perky, unafraid and loyal enough to stay around through even the most harsh of winters.

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  7. @Allotments4you
    The digital camera I used when I started this blog was the very first camera I owned, so I almost consider myself lucky to have always had it good.
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    @Out on the prairie
    I thank my subjects too when I get their pictures. I knew I couldn't be the only one. Although I have to admit that I sometimes shake my fist at those feisty little squirrels.
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    @Rainfield
    That's funny. I didn't think of it like that before, but now I will every time I look at that picture.
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    @Ann
    I'll have to watch their behavior a little closer so I can see that. I see some of it, but I usually only get quick glimpses where I see them.
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    @Jean
    That one is my favorite too. I wasn't sure if anyone else would see it as I did, but it seems to be a hit.
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    @Montucky
    That's exactly why I like them too. Such friendly little birds.

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  8. It was so nice of him to pose with that bright blue background. He's standing on a quaking aspen... Just had to tell you that! I can't seem to catch any pics of them. Maybe Maggie makes them nervous (probably)

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  9. All great photos Ratty. We don't have to see the head for it to be a good one. In fact, these are a lot more interesting. I like them!

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  10. @Sharkbytes
    I'll remember the name of the tree next time I go past. I need all the help I can get with trees.
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    @Bill
    I like those last two pictures best too. The head does help identify an animal though.

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  11. They really are beautiful pictures. You must have endless patience

    Why not join us? ExposeYourBlog!

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  12. @Anji
    Actually, I have very little patience, which is why I didn't wait to get better pictures than these. :)
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    @Sunny
    I do too. One of my favorite types of bird.

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  13. I don't think I've ever seen a chickadee other than in pictures. It doesn't seem to be a bird that frequents this area. They are really cute, though.

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