These little guys are so hard to photograph, but finally I got some worthwhile images. I also have the chestnut backed, and last year a pair of the mountain dee's. Hope to get photos of them too, but they're not real cooperative. They flit so much, and are usually in the shadows.
This message was edited Feb 2, 2007 11:36 AM
From the top, they seem to sport a mohawk.
Caught w/ a seed in it's mouth.
Looking right at me.
They work hard gathering food.
Great photos - and those little buggers are really hard to find still long enough to take a pic at all!!!
I have tons of chestnut backed, but only once have I ever seen a Mountain Chickadee (I lived in West Seattle at the time) and I know he was way off course!!
I agree Chickadees just don't set still long enough to get very many photos, But, you did get a few real nice shots. I've been trying to photograph them seriously for several weeks and only have six acceptable images. I get more images without any bird, because it just flew, than shots containing a Chickadees. This is a Black Capped Chickadee. We also have the Boreal Chickadees. Strangely, the Boreal Chickadees rarely if ever come to the bird feeder, but they often nest in one of my bird houses.
oooooh - excellent! And how I laughed at your "images without any birds!!!" Obviously, I can relate.
This is a composite of three Black Capped Chickadee images. Occasionally, this winter a Gray-Headed Chickadee, Parus cinctus, (also known as a Siberian Tit) has been coming to my feeder. For a few minutes the other day, I though I had captured a picture of the Gray-Headed one. But when I down loaded the camera to the computer, there wasn't any bird in the picture. The Gray-Headed Chickadees are suppose to be north of the Yukon River, so this one is about 300 miles off course.
I just got very lucky. I know where the chestnut backed feed, and about what time. Well, the jays showed up and the chestnut either left or didn't show up, but there were several of the less intimidated blackcapped there. I took about 200 images, but some were in the shadows, and some, of course, had no bird.
I'll continue watching for the chestnut and mountain. Wish me luck!
This is a composite image, two sequential shots, of the same Black Capped Chickadee. One image was flipped, and they were merged. Just play around trying to learn what my software can actually do.
Show use some of the other species of Chickadees. What kind lives in your part of the world?
Siberian Tits are known to be more nomadic than most other tits "More extensive movements southwards, especially of juveniles, recorded when populations are high" (Birds of the Western Palearctic)
I'll see if I can get some pics of our species (Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit) in the next few days
Resin
Tigerlily grate behavioral pics.!!! Gras i like your software a lot, the stuff you can do with a pic it is amazing and fun to do I bet, ha?
I have Mac and just IPhoto, which came with it. Now i m thinking to get serious with some more professional photoshop program. Don`t know tho , what kind program to buy yet, cause im still complete ameba in photogaphy. Great job gras :)
Nice pics everyone! Gotta love those Dees!
Chestnut backed
Be warned, these are not very good, but what I could get today. You can at least see the color differences.
From the back.
In the shadows.
Really nice to see a different type of Dee, thanks!
Last one.
tigerlily, the Chestnuts in your pic's are a lot darker brown than I expected. The Boreal are much lighter brown. I didn't realise the difference was so great.
awesome pics. Glad to see others than the Carolina Chickadee we have here
In persuit of the chestnut
Y'all would have laughed yourselves silly at my frustrations today in trying (hahaha) to get some decent images of the chestnut.
I discovered they seemed to feel quite safe in the cover of the trees, even when a loud vehicle came by, creating sudden flight to distant parts with the rest of the birds in the area.
If I sat on the ground, the chestnut would go high in the tree. Okay, so I've got the 75-300mm fully extended, and I'm peering through the branches of the cedars, and the darn lil' things would pop out just inches from my face! If I move, they go deeper into the tree, and this Canon focuses on what it's closest to, and to heck with anything behind that branch that's hanging in my way.
I need to get the Sony 717 adjusted for this, I can tell!
I did get a couple more passable shots........if you can discount the branches of interferance.
it is really beautiful
Cute, cute!!
One more
tigerlily, I hear you. I swear the only times they sit still, more than a 2 seconds, is in a place where I can not get a shot. I did best prefocusing on a branch, near the feeder, one they often land on. But, they where so quick I missed most of them. Here's another shot of a Black Capped Chickadee. I would focus on that branch and wait.
The chestnut don't come to the feeders, I suppose because they prefer not to mingle with the other birds. They feed where my driveway meets the highway, and just across the drive at the neighbors old shed. I could never see them from the house, so have to sit and wait where they congregate. It's about 100 yards from the nearest window. ;-(
I first noticed them a couple weeks ago when neighbor and I were visiting where the driveways meet.
Heck, my windows are so high I have to stand to see any birds. This place was not planned for birdwatching at all. Now my dream home would be much, much different. LOL
This message was edited Feb 2, 2007 11:24 PM
Tigerlily, you sell yourself short - you have some terrific, detailed photos of the dees . . . I love when you can see their little feet on the branches!! My house was also not built with viewing birds or gardens . . . I love the house, but sure would have done things differently. When it was built in 1989, it had a water view (it has mostly disappeared now from a huge tree growing) so that's what the owners focused on. They were not gardeners so of course not bird watchers either. Can you imagine such a thing???!!! They came by the house once and actually seemed dismayed to see all my gardens - lol!!!
Gras, you are one talented person - love the composites, and great photos!!
Beautiful, Beautiful pics Tigerlily and Gras! All the Dees are beautiful, sweet and adorable!!! Thanks for sharing all your photos! I love those little Dees! So happy to hear and see them all the time. Love that they come to get seeds from my yard.
Great photos! I have never seen chestnut sided chickadees. They are beautiful little birds!
Tigerlily: Wow! I have never seen the chestnut either. Such a pretty bird!
Here's a not-so-crisp shot of a Carolina Chickadee. They look almost exactly the same as the black-capped, but are smaller.
DebinSC
Also a Carolina chic. on the feeder with a sparrow..
Deb
Hmmm, I'll have to pay attention to mine. I wonder if those are the kind that I have. Thanks for the id tip Deb.
Here is one of the few pics I have managed to get of the chickadees that come to my feeder. Can you tell which kind this one is?
Lily: I wouldn't even guess! :>
My guide says that even the chickadees themselves aren't sure and there are hybrids -as a result.
The only clues are that the Carolina is about an inch smaller and the bottom edge of it's black bib is a little sharper. Also, the black-capped has more white on it's forward wing edges and shoulders this time of year. TN is really inside the Carolina's territory, though, and they do tend to out number the others. Black-capped tend to stay further north and west.
..and they both do the same call. So,...I.D. should be piece of cake, right? LOL!
DebinSC
Wow, I had no idea! Maybe they should all be the same kind of chickadee with the modifiers "large", "medium" or "small" in front of their name lol.
Looks like Carolina to me too; and as Debin says, TN is mainly Carolina territory, with Black-capped confined to a small area in the high peaks of the Great Smoky Mts on the TN/NC border, above 1100-1200m altitude (Harrap & Quinn 1996, Tits, Nuthatches & Treecreepers).
Resin
Thanks Resin and Deb. I do seem to remember chickadees being larger on Long Island when I was growing up. I bet those were the black capped.
Yep, B-cC on Long Island. The Carolinas start in central NJ, south of the Raritan River.
Resin
This is a Boreal Chickadee. I hadn't seen a Boreal in a long time. At first, I though it was the Gray Capped, because I had seeing him occasionally. Then I noticed the brown was too dark, for it to be Mr. Gray. He was hopping around so much I snapped the shutter three times and only caught him once.
love to see birds I have never seen before.
I was sitting at the computer preparing my last entry, when I looked up. There was the Boreal Chickadee, on the suet feeder. I was quick enough to catch two pic's, but only fair quality.
