"It's a lot like shooting fish in a barrel," is how I describe photographing birds at my Prescott feeders. The suet and seeds, positioned close to my deck, attract the full cross-section of forest birds including nuthatches, titmice, bushtits, jays, woodpeckers, juncos, chickadees, and finches. It seems that all I have to do is stand quietly back a few feet, wait for a subject, point the lens, shoot, et voilà, another postcard-perfect picture of a white-breasted nuthatch.
But it's never been so easy with one denizen of the woods in and around my neighborhood: the juniper titmouse. It's not that I don't see this cute little grey bird a lot; in fact I encounter him quite frequently on nearby forest trails. Often his trill attracts my attention before I catch sight of him along with his companion flitting from branch to branch in one of our native juniper trees.
Recently I've noticed a pair visiting my feeders a bit more frequently. Their normal routine includes a fast peck at the suet, a single seed for dessert, and then they're gone, quick as lightning. Usually it's no use grabbing my camera because their stops are are so irregular. But I've had somewhat better luck recently if I stand quite still nearby and just wait a minute or two because they've started returning for second helpings. As a result, in between the bridled titmice' and mountain chickadees' more numerous forays to the all-you-can-eat buffet, I've been able to get a shot or two of the juniper titmice on their follow-up trips.
This predictable behavior seems new this year. Of course the summer of 2020 was unlike any in recent memory so it's no wonder a little bird might be acting differently. Pandemics, polemics, protests, wildfires, droughts, heat waves: sometimes I don't recognize this place anymore myself. But I'll always appreciate a few good shots of a difficult but adorable subject. C'est magnifique.
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| Juniper titmouse in my Prescott yard's juniper tree. |
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| Juniper titmouse in my Prescott yard's juniper tree. |
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| Juniper titmouse in my Prescott yard's juniper tree. |
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| Juniper titmouse in my Prescott yard's juniper tree. |
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