I couldn’t help but notice the sight and sounds of little birds last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge—they were really active. Of course, being aware of their presence did not magically result in photographs of them. As many of you know, one of the “secrets” of my wildlife photography is that I am unusually patient and persistent.
So I watched and waited and eventually managed to capture images of Carolina Chickadees (Poecile carolinensis), some of the smallest birds in our area. Here are a few of my favorites. In the first one, I managed to isolate the little bird from its cluttered background, which was a bit tricky, considering that the chickadee was perched on a small branch in the midst of a tangled group of branches.
The second photo was a little easier to take, because the bird was perched at the end of a branch in a more open area. The final photo was an unplanned one. As I was focusing on the chickadee, it took off and I instinctively pressed the shutter release. The photo is far from perfect, but I really like it.
I’m sure I’ll be taking more (and hopefully better) bird photos as we move deeper into spring and I’m looking forward to seeing a few dragonflies appearing in the next month or so.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
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