Lee Slatum and my wife Jeanette have talked me into posting
this photo. I’m not especially proud of
it, but then there is the fact that Brown Creepers are just plain hard to
photograph. They are busy, busy, birds, up and down and around a tree, never
still, constantly looking for bugs. And
their coloring camouflages them so well against the bark it makes them very hard
to see let alone focus a camera. This
one shows up a little better because of the green moss. He is at a rather odd
angle, but notice his stiff tail feathers that he uses to support his body as
well as his legs. I had gone early yesterday to the Salem Audubon Nature Reserve
in West Salem where I volunteer, to be able to spend some time looking for
birds before starting to work. The sighting of this Brown Creeper was what I
term the “gift of the day”.
what a delight for you to see a Creeper there.
ReplyDeleteI've wondered what these zippy little guys were. Thanks for answering another question. Beautiful shot, love the contrast with the bright green moss!
ReplyDeleteBrown creepers are little stinkers when it comes to photographing them. I'd be happy to get this shot -- great look at those stiff tail feathers. I never realized just how stiff they are. I expect it on various woodpeckers, but didn't realize creepers do it too.
ReplyDeleteThe Brown Creeper is almost faster than the human eye; now you see him, now you don't, as he corkscrews up the tree trunk. I always feel an emotional charge when I catch a glimpse of this hard-to-spot bird. Jim, your narrative, as always, was filled with interesting facts. Lee
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