Black-capped chickadee eating a spider


The one bird species that I (probably) have more photos of than any other is the black-capped chickadee.  Their precocious nature and comfort around humans make them ideal birds for the photographer.  They are easily fed by hand (not something I generally recommend, but I have done so a few times) and will readily take to feeders.  I have photographed them at and around home and abroad.  Although they are not colourful, they are always welcome visitors in any setting.

Black-capped chickadees are omnivores, that is they eat both plant and animal material.  In the winter, they forage along branches and cracks in search of hibernating or pupating insects, egg masses, and any other invertebrate fodder they can glean.  They will take seeds of all types and sizes; I love watching them hammer on a sunflower seed to get to the inner kernel.  In the warmer months, they forage for living insects as a protein source for the brood they are raising.

Black-capped chickadees do not migrate and remain in northern climates throughout the entire year.  I hear their familiar "chick-a-dee" song throughout the year and, during breeding, their two-whistle call "a long high note followed by a long low note).  I have had chickadees nest in birdhouses I have built, creating a 1-⅛ inch hole for them will keep out larger birds such as house sparrows and starlings.  

I photographed the above bird at Clifford E. Lee Park in Alberta with my Nikon D500, a TC14 III teleconverter and a Nikon 500mm PF f/5.6 telephoto. The crop sensor and teleconverter gave me a relative focal length of 1050 mm (~21x magnification).  I find the system works well for static images but there is a problem when trying to use 3D focusing as the f/8 minimum aperture is probably too small for it to work properly.  

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I found a black widow spider in a plant pot today

Image
The spider I found is a western black widow spider, one of three species of black widow that occur in North America.  The fact that this one has another red patch on the back of its abdomen above the spinnerettes tells us that it is an immature individual. The one thing that people know about black widow spiders is that they are extremely poisonous.  Their venom is something like 15x more toxic than that of a rattlesnake.  The saving grace is that there is very little venom injected from a black widow bite than what a rattlesnake can deliver.   The good news is that black widow bites seldom lead to death.  You are more likely to suffer nausea, muscle pain, and swelling around the bite.  Symptoms usually last only 12 hours or so.  Death may be a result in people with compromised immune systems or in the very young or the elderly.   In 2018, it was reported that there were 1015 cases of people bitten by black widows.  Of those, there were no deaths, but 5 people had potentially life-thre
Read more

The passing of a generation

Image
Kathryn's mom and dad with our children, Josh and Leanne. A generation, for North America, tends to be between 20 and 30 years.  During that time a couple will give birth and raise children to see them repeat the pattern as they themselves have done.  Each generation has its own set of standards, values, and ideals based upon their experiences and culture, and some of that is passed down to their offspring.  What changes are the life experiences of the following generation and the new customs and ideals that are blended together as a couple becomes a family. Kathryn's mom passed away a few days ago, she was predeceased by her husband several years ago.  Both of them were the grandparents of my children, the mother and father of my wife, Kathryn.  It was my pleasure to know them and to love them as my own, for to me they were Mom and Dad.  And they were there to welcome my children into the world just as my children were with them in spirit when they left it.   We ourselves have
Read more

Henry Fair - A good man lost to us all.

Image
There is a great deal I have always appreciated about Henry Fair.  The first thing that comes to mind when I think of him is that he was kind.  He always had time, always expressed himself well, and always cared for kids.  I think that's the second thing that comes to mind; Henry had a great passion for kids.   His devotion to helping others was best illustrated by his time spent teaching alternate learning at Garibaldi Secondary School.  KOALA (Kids On Alternate Learning Aims) was a program for at-risk youth that Henry ran for many years.  He was compassionate and understanding towards those under his purview and treated everyone with the same degree of care and professionalism.   One of the more amazing things about Henry was that nothing seemed to phase him.  I can tell you from experience that a remedial program will test the patience and metal of anyone, yet he never let it get to him.  Every student was valuable to him and worth his time and effort.  He was a constant advocat
Read more