Tag: passerine

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Fun Frontyard Portraits

A house finch perches on the branch of a cherry tree
A house finch perches on the branch of a cherry tree

A couple of years ago we planted a cherry tree in our front yard and set up a multi-tube feeding station for the local wild birds. Each year the spot becomes more established and the number and variety of wild birds increases. Here are a few recent portraits I took in the yard of two of our most common varieties – house finches and lesser goldfinches.

A lesser goldfinch perches on a narrow branch at the top of a cherry tree
A lesser goldfinch perches on a narrow branch at the top of a cherry tree

It is a joy to watch these little guys and see how different they are from one another. Some are bold and boisterous, others are shy and flighty.

A house finch perches on the branch of a cherry tree
A house finch perches on the branch of a cherry tree

Sometimes I find myself running around trying to photograph only rare species, so it is fun and relaxing to spend a little time trying to create portraits of birds I see every day.

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A Greedy Goldfinch

A lesser goldfinch snacks on thistle clumps, holding the food with one foot
A lesser goldfinch snacks on thistle clumps, holding the food with one foot

A little while back, I found this lesser goldfinch feasting on thistle. When I found him, he already had one clump of thistle clutched with his foot.

A lesser goldfinch snacks on thistle clumps, holding the food with one foot
A lesser goldfinch grabs a second thistle clump while still holding the first

He saw another piece he liked and…

A lesser goldfinch snacks on thistle clumps, holding the food with one foot
A lesser goldfinch perches while clutching two thistle clumps, trying not to drop any

now he had two.

He started munching away, but got a little animated, causing one of the clumps to drop. No problem, there’s one more right here.

A lesser goldfinch snacks on thislte clumps, holding the food with one foot
A lesser goldfinch grabs yet another thistle clump after dropping one

This time, we wasn’t taking chances, and kept the new thistle in his mouth.

A lesser goldfinch snacks on thislte clumps, holding the food with one foot
A lesser goldfinch perches with the new thistle in his mouth

After sitting there a while, I think he realized that in order to consume his new finds, he’d have to relocate to a better location. And off he went.

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Chestnut-backed Chickadee

A chestnut-backed chickadee poses on a small branch whose leaves are beginning to turn colors
A chestnut-backed chickadee poses on a small branch whose leaves are beginning to turn colors

One of my favorite local passerines is the chestnut-backed chickadee. It is common enough to be seen semi-regularly, but just rare enough for those sightings to be special. Here is a photo I took last November, as the leaves were turning color on the trees. I love how the chickadee’s colors compliment the fall colors of nature.

Another reason that I enjoy chickadee sightings is that I always think of them as “bonus” birds. I never set out to specifically find one of these guys (if I did so, I’d probably be searching for days). Usually I’ll go looking for a different target species (be it a shorebird rarity, newly hatched chicks, etc) and only after I successfully (or unsuccessfully) photograph my target do I look around to see who else is present. And that’s when a chickadee might show up.

The biggest challenges in photographing birds like this are their size and speed. They are a relatively small bird. When working with a large lens (as I normally do for birds), that means working at or less than the lens’s minimum focusing distance. That also means that finding your subject at that magnification is like finding a needle in a haystack! And the speed? The only time this bird sits still is when it stops to sing. Otherwise it is flitting from branch to branch – very hard to track with a long lens. Here patience and practice (and some times a little luck) pay off.

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Chestnut-Backed Chickadee

A chestnut-backed chickadee sings at the top of its lungs while perched on a bush stem
A chestnut-backed chickadee sings at the top of its lungs while perched on a bush stem

Recently I found this chestnut-backed chickadee foraging in and around a large ornamental bush growing along a walking path. These chickadees seem to mostly travel alone, and are difficult to photograph because they are small and very fast. Usually they’ll perch on a twig just long enough for me to find it in my viewfinder before it zips off to another location, leaving me with yet another picture of an empty twig.

A chestnut-backed chickadee plucks a small dead leaf from its branch in order to create a better place to perch
A chestnut-backed chickadee plucks a small dead leaf from its branch in order to create a better place to perch

True to form, this little guy was jumping from one spot to another, leaving me with nothing but my normal frustration. Suddenly, he lighted on a narrow branch right in front of me. After surveying his spot for a few seconds, he plucked a small dead leaf in order to clear a spot, and launched into a beautiful song. He seemed occupied in his song, and completely unconcerned with my presence, allowing my to click away.

A chestnut-backed chickadee perches on a thin bush stem
A chestnut-backed chickadee perches on a thin bush stem

After about 30 seconds of singing and a few brief poses on his perch, he was off again. This time he did not hang around, but took off into the air and out of sight.

Copyright 2017 Hank Christensen