Chickadee in the cattails

February 28, 2015 by Mike Powell

Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of some moment in the cattails. At first I thought it was a Downy Woodpecker, which I have sometimes observed pecking on the cattails in search of insects, but I quickly saw that this was a smaller bird. When it finally climbed higher on a cattail stalk, it became clear that it was a Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis).

Initially I had trouble finding this tiny bird in my viewfinder with the zoom fully extended, but eventually I was successful. I am really happy with the effect that I managed to achieve, with the darker-colored bird really standing out from the lighter-colored backdrop of the cattails. Normally I like to crop to focus attention on the subject, but in this case I like the images better with a considerable amount of open space around the chickadee.

I couldn’t decide which of these two image I liked more, so decided to include both of them. Sometimes I like the horizontal pose of the first shot, but at other times the open bill in the second shot draws me in.

It’s always fun to try to get shots of owls and eagles and hawks, but my moments with this little chickadee reminded me that the little birds have their own special kind of beauty.

10 Responses

on February 28, 2015 at 5:51 am | Reply Dina

Beautiful photos, Michael!
Wishing you a lovely weekend,
Dina & Co
on February 28, 2015 at 7:53 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

I think the second one is my favorite, but only because I imagine him singing.
on February 28, 2015 at 9:07 am | Reply Boeta

You can be, great effect, lovely shots.
on February 28, 2015 at 11:33 am | Reply krikitarts

I agree about the open space; the pastel background is quite lovely. I’m drawn more to the first shot, probably because it’s a little more serene. BTW, your title would be a good name for a lively bluegrass tune!
on February 28, 2015 at 3:25 pm | Reply Sue

A great backdropmfor these shots. You can imagine the bird making its “dee-dee-dee” call in that second shot.
- on February 28, 2015 at 3:25 pm | Reply Sue
  
  Uh, that was supposed to be “backdrop for”…
on February 28, 2015 at 4:39 pm | Reply svtakeiteasy

Beautiful images with the muted background Mike.
on March 3, 2015 at 9:48 am | Reply Molly Dutina

Wonderful that you caught the bird singing! 🙂
- on March 6, 2015 at 10:31 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  The singing adds a little more interest to the shot. I am glad you liked it.
on March 4, 2015 at 8:11 am | Reply nliakos

I love chickadees! We had a lot near where I grew up. They used to come on to my uncle’s hand for seeds in West Nyack, NY. The Carolina Chickadees we have around here are not bold enough for that, but we love to watch them come to our seed basket, daintily take one seed, and fly off to eat it in private, leaving the rest for others. Contrast this to the Carolina Wren, who commandeers the basket and throws the seeds and hulls on the ground while he gorges himself.