Mike Powell

It is always a joy and a challenge to photograph tiny birds, like this cute little Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) that I spotted last Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Even when they are perched, these chickadees are a bundle of energy and seem to be constantly changing head and body positions. As you can see from these two shots, the chickadee was surrounded by branches, so I had to bend and stretch a lot to get a clear shot. Lighting was also an issue, because the little bird often had its head pointed down and was covered with shadows.

I especially like the chickadee’s pose in the first photo, in which he was looking upward and the light was illuminating his face.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.