It is exciting to photograph big birds, but it many ways it is even more of a challenge to get decent shots of the tiny frenetic ones, like this Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) that I photographed yesterday morning at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Golden-crowned Kinglets are really small, about 2 to 4 inches in length (8 to 11 cm), which is smaller than a chickadee and larger than a hummingbird. They seem to like to forage deep within the branches of the vegetation, so it was really tough to get an unobstructed shot of one.
I decided yesterday to try shooting with a monopod, which helped me to stay focused on this particular bird as it moved about and be ready when it perched for a split second in the open. My Tamron 150-600mm lens is a little heavy and I think that it helped my steadiness to have the additional support of the monopod, though it did feel a little constraining. I think that I will start using the monopod regularly now and see if my images tend to get sharper.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Lovely to see this pretty little bird, Mike. Thanks!
Thanks, Liz. The insects are mostly gone for season and the weather has gotten colder–it dropped below the freezing point last night. Increasingly my blog is likely to feature birds. If I am lucky and patient, I’ll be able to capture images of a whole lot of different ones.
I like how well he blends in. Beautiful composition, Mike.
Thanks, Dan. Once I saw the bright yellow on the top of his head, I was determined to get a decent shot of him and eventually my patience was rewarded.
Another great photo!
Thanks, Kenne.
Those unobstructed views can be hard to get. You did well with this one, and it was well worth your patience. I even have trouble with the weight of my 70-300mm from time to time. It’s no wonder you have a bit with an even larger lens. I’m still not inclined toward tripod or monopod — I’ll work on strength training for my hands and wrists, instead. Well, at least for a while.
I sometimes use a tripod with my macro lens, but have been resistant to using one with my telephoto lens. I have a carbon fiber monopod that is really light and I think I am going to use it some more. When I am zoomed out all the way to 600mm, I think it may make a difference in sharpness, but I will have to experiment a bit more before I know for sure.
The kinglets are nearly impossible to capture, so this photograph is spectacular, Mike. You were even able to highlight that beautiful golden crown. I, too, love that we were both enjoying kinglets on opposite sides of the country, and even described their diminutive size the same way. They are to be celebrated, for sure.