Unlike his white-breasted cousin, this tiny nuthatch is not a regular visitor in my yard. But this one has been showing up for the past week; just to drive me crazy, I think. He zips in and lands somewhere - usually not in the right spot - for less than a second, before grabbing a snack and taking off. If I wait to see him perch and then put my eye to the camera, it's too late. The only way I could get him was to focus on my selected spot and watch through the lens for him (or another species) to show up, quickly refocus, and shoot. Lots of tedious waiting in the freezing cold, and lots of missed shots. Several times as I stood in my camo throw-over, a Cooper's Hawk flew in to spook all the birds, and then perched in a tree overlooking the feeder, keeping the birds out of sight for a half-hour or more at a time. It has taken me a week to get this one. But for such a cute and uncommon little bird it has been worth the wait.
D500, 500PF + 1.4 TC, ISO 2000, 1/2500s @ f/8 manual. Gitzo and Mongoose.
I love these guys! They, and the White-breasted, come to the hand for seeds in a couple of our parks. But yes, the Red-breasted is much more agitated in its movements. Nifty perch you got here, and Good BG.
Looks really good, Bill! A great result given the effort! Perch is interesting, lighting is perfect, and the detail is outstanding. Composition and eye contact spot on. One of you best, for sure!
PPP - pose, perch and processing all nicely done from my view. And speaking of perch, the hangy down flake at left, although slightly large compared to the subject, adds a lot of interest IMO.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
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