The early bird gets the worm, they say, but this mid-morning Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) was eating something different when I spotted it through the trees last Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
It is always a challenge to get shots of birds as small as this one (approximately 5.5-6.3 inches (14-16 cm) in length), but I have found that my chances of success increase when a subject stops to eat. I could see the little titmouse clearly, but there was a lot of vegetation between us. As a result, I had to move from side to side, trying to find a clear visual tunnel. I am happy with what I was able to get, even if the bird’s distinctive pointed crest did end up being blocked from view by a tree.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Nice Mike! They are fun to watch!
They are so fearless compared to other birds at our feeders!
I love the image of you traipsing around in the winter forest photographing through the bare trees, Mike. Fantastic photos. We don’t get the tufted titmouse on the west coast, so I always love to see this bird however I can.
That’s a slightly romanticized version of my photography forays, Jet, but I like it. We are starting to get blossoms and leaves on the trees, so they won’t be bare much more. I am so happy that the social distancing requirements in my area don’t require me to stay indoors at home all of the time.
That bottom photo is really cute, Mike. Good job.
Thanks, Dan. It seemed to be a very bright-eyed little bird.
Maybe this was a cousin, the branched titmouse?
Ah, yes, and considerably more rare than the tufted.