Bushtit

I started out today looking for the Bewick's subspecies of Tundra Swan seen at Coffee Lake yesterday. I drive past Coffee Lake on my way to work and have often thought this wetland had potential. Unfortunately the Tundra Swans were all towards the back of the lake so I couldn't get close enough to see if the Bewick's was still there. Maybe tomorrow.
From there I stopped at TRNWR. I haven't been there in months. Things were somewhat slow, but I did run into a small flock of Bushtits at the observation deck. The light was horrible, but I did get one interesting shot of one of the Bushtits as it just started to take off.

Bushtit - At the Feeder

This past Christmas, Santa (that would be me) left me a bird feeder kit under the tree. I was pretty excited about it, imaging all the birds I would be able to watch from the comfort of my home. But once I got it out there, I realized that I'm gone from the house most of the daylight hours during that time of the year.
Also, I wasn't getting many birds at the feeders, so I moved the setup near the back fence as was suggested on one of the feeders. It reasoned that birds would feel safer if the feeders were closer to trees and bushes where they could quickly seek shelter. That did help, but now the feeders were further from view.
Today, I realized that the change to daylight savings time allowed me a little time after work to keep an eye on the feeders. Tonight I saw Bushtits at the suet feeder for the first time; as many as five at a time.

Bushtit

I was going through some pictures of Bushtits I took back on the 12th at TRNWR. Most were the inevitable blurred feathers and empty branches as I tried to keep up with the birds.
The picture above caught my attention, not so much because it is such a good picture, but for the interesting look in the Bushtit's eye. Kind of sinister. Probably due more to the angle that its attitude, but she does have a look of "don't mess with me" about her.

Bushtit

It wasn't a real active day during lunch on Thursday at TRNWR, but I did get these nice close shots of a Bushtit in a tree just before the river lookout platform. In addition to this Bushtit, there were also a handful of Golden-crowned Kinglets in the next tree.
This is one of those times when I have to make a difficult decision. Do I take the close shot opportunity I have of a bird for which I already have good images or do I pass it up for a possible closeup shot of a bird for which I do not have good images. Typically I take the shot I have and in this case I am pleased with my decision.
I love the added colors of Autumn in the background. They contrast nicely with the gray color of the Bushtit.

Bushtit

Late Spring and early Summer has been interesting as there are a lot of young, immature birds. Many times they look different than fully mature birds I commonly see. For example, I took some pictures of a bird I was nearly convinced was a Orange-crowned Warbler until I realized that they were immature Common Yellowthroats.
The bird above did not fool me however as this immature Bushtit looks very much like a fully mature bird. I saw it a tree that was full of Bushtits. This one and another near it were behaving differently as they were quite sleepy and not flighty at all. The clincher for me though was the soft, yellowish corners of its beak. This is the remnants of the softer beak of a nesting bird.

Bushtit

I had a hard time identifying this bird. It looked familiar, but I couldn't find it in my field guide. Finally after seaching through Cornell's All About birds site, I realized it was a Bushtit. The reason I was confused is that the previous Bushtit I posted had a pale eye and this one had a dark eye. The picture of the Bushtit in my field guide had a pale eye. What I discovered is that the female has a pale eye while the male has a dark eye. Cornell's site says that female's eye turns pale within a month of fledging, while Wikipedia just says the female's eye is pale. I trust Cornell over Wikipedia. So, it's possible this is a young female, but I am betting it is a male.
These pictures are the result of luck and patience. Bushtits are almost constantly on the move. This one was a little calmer than some I've seen. I spotted it a fair distance from me and waited patiently while it got closer and closer. Towards the end it got quite close and remained still long enough, fairly unobstructed, so I could get some nice shots.

Bushtit

Bushtits are very hard to shoot because they are tiny, flighty, constantly on the move and hang out in the brush. I came across two at the Mentor Graphics pond that were in a small willow that was just starting to leaf out. That helped get a less obstructed view and I managed to get a few reasonable photos. This one shows one of the Bushtits hanging from a thin branch. My field guide says that the Pacific variety have a brown crown as can be seen in this image. Trying to shoot these can be a bit of a sport.