In Search of Snowbirds | Black-capped Chickadee

In Search of Snowbirds | Black-capped Chickadee

Northern Illinois | 2/17/2019 4:36 pm Local Time | Wintry Mix 25°F Light Winds

In Search of Snowbirds | Black-capped Chickadee    These small birds dart around quickly. To capture an image, you must be ready. They don’t sit still for very long.  The bush provides context.

The Back Story    This image was a simple click through a window.

Quick Facts…

Black-capped Chickadee … Black cap & bib; white cheeks; gray back, wings, & tail; & whitish underside
HabitatMixed & deciduous woods; willow thickets, groves, shade trees in open woods & forest edge.
RangeYear around in Northern Illinois
NestHole in tree, enlargement of small cavity in rotten wood, old woodpecker hole or nesting box.
DietMostly insects, seeds, and berries.
BehaviorForages by hopping among twigs and branches getting food from surface. Feeder seeds in winter.
SizeLength: 4.7-5.9 in   |  Weight: 0.3-0.5 oz |  Wingspan: 6.3-8.3 in

Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee  Now I’m not really a birder; still, it seems like I’m capturing more bird images these days.  On my walkabout this evening, a couple Black-capped Chickadees were playing in the trees right next to the trail.  All I had to do, was stop, sit down, and wait a bit for them to get closer.  Within e few minutes, the Chickadees came back to play; flying branch to branch in little spurts of energy.  The Nikon 1 V1 with a 70-300mm lens makes a great bird lens with a maximum effective focal length of 810mm.