Brown Creeper on Spruce

[Steve Wasson]

We've had 1-2 Brown Creepers in the yard over the winter. Haven't seen them for a few weeks now. This morning my wife spotted him in the back, so out I went (my bedroom window is too far from the tree, Gail!). They're not shy, but they never sit still and seem to prefer the shade side of the tree. FYI, Brown Creepers only climb up trees, unlike nuthatches which go up and down. When he gets to the top, he either flies down to the bottom to start over or on to the next tree.

Tough to see at this resolution, but he's got a bug on his tongue!

Canon 7D, 500mm f4 IS + 1.4TC, 1/1000 @f5.6, ISO400, Benro Monopod, Jobu Jr. 3 Gimbal.
Slight crop from original portrait orientation, LR, CS5.

[gail bisson]

My tree is nicer than your tree!!
Congrats on getting this because I know how hard they are too get! I like the side view that you got.
I really like the open beak and the bug.
I might decrease the brightness of the tree a bit and use detail extractor if you have it to get a bit more out of the whites under the chin.
Well done,
Gail
I am going to start searching for the nest but they have a territory of 5 to 15 hectares so it may be impossible -but how cool would that be to find a nest!

[Julie Brown]

Hi Steve,

Nice catch! These birds are hard to see and move quickly. I like the side view pose and the detail of bird and bark.

[Karl Egressy]

One of the hardest birds to take picture of. Well done, Steve.

[Tim King]

Tough bird to shoot. Great illustration of their camo. Fine job.

[Daniel Cadieux]

These are seen regularly but tough to photograph on any day! Quite the camo these guys have too. I agree in toning down the tree in some areas.

[Jim Crosswell]

I am still trying to get a keeper of this challenging bird. Good suggestions above. Well done Steve!