Chestnut-backed Chickadee – Poecile rufescens
Photos By Shawn Weigelt
March 3, 2011
Vaughn, Washington
I love these little Chestnut-backed Chickadees, though I’ve found them to be a little less photogenic than the widespread Black-capped. These chickadees are a West Coast specialty, being found from Alaska south to California. I shot these images at ISO 400 which is about the maximum I’m comfortable with for bird photography with my setup. This lens/camera combination really starts to produce grainy images anywhere beyond ISO 400 which is unfortunate, but it’s what I have to work with. I think the noise is very noticeable on the bird in these photos but when I clean up the background with Noiseware it dramatically improves the overall image. The colors are warm and vibrant, at least!
Nikon D80 70-300VR at 300mm, ISO 400, f/5.6, hand held
1) at 1/320sec
2) at 1/250sec
Chestnut-backed is a perfect name for these tiny chickadees!
I haven’t seen one of these birds in many, many years. Excellent captures Shawn!
Thank you, John! They’re one of our, “yard birds,” here, but always a welcome sight!