Bird Profiles

Feeder Bird Photography: Capturing Nature from Your Backyard

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Tufted Titmouse perched on bird feeder in cloudy, windy weather
A lone Tufted Titmouse braved the windy, cloudy afternoon, making the wait worthwhile. Captured near my backyard feeder with the Sony A1 and 600mm lens.

Bird photography isn’t always about traveling far to capture a bird in the wild. In fact, some of the best shots happen much closer to home—often right in your backyard. Feeder bird photography is a unique art that blends patience and persistence with an appreciation for everyday nature. Over time, my own backyard has become a studio where I consistently capture stunning images of the songbirds that visit my feeders year-round.

Embracing Man-made Elements in Your Photos

Interestingly, I’ve learned that there’s no need to hide the man-made elements birds interact with daily. Feeders are, after all, part of their environment—just like trees or the sky. When a bird perches on a feeder, I don’t rush to crop out the object. Instead, I embrace it as part of the scene, offering an authentic glimpse of their habitat. Consequently, these man-made items often add context to the story I’m telling through the photograph.

Patience and Weather Challenges in Bird Photography

Bird photography requires a great deal of patience, especially when the weather isn’t ideal. For instance, I recently spent hours waiting in windy, cloudy conditions, thinking the day would be a bust. However, just as I was about to pack up and leave, a single Tufted Titmouse appeared on the feeder. That one shot made the wait worthwhile. Therefore, sometimes bird photography is about being patient and capturing those rare, fleeting moments that nature offers.

Choosing the Right Camera Gear for Bird Photography

Of course, using the right gear helps me capture crisp and detailed images. I rely on my Sony A1 paired with a Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OSS lens. This setup allows me to shoot from a distance without disturbing the birds. For example, when photographing the Tufted Titmouse, I used an f/4 aperture, a 1/400 second shutter speed, and an ISO of 500 to freeze the bird’s subtle movements in low light. Ultimately, having the right equipment makes a significant difference in image quality.

Practice Makes Perfect: Improving Your Feeder Bird Photography

No matter how advanced your gear is, bird photography is all about practice. Feeder birds offer a great opportunity to refine your skills because they visit regularly, giving you plenty of chances to improve. As a result, each session teaches something new, from reading light to anticipating bird behavior. In the end, bird photography is about persistence, patience, and a love for the subject. Even when the conditions aren’t ideal, there’s always something to learn and improve upon.

Bird Profiles

A Robin in Winter: An Ode to Resilience

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American Robin perched on a branch in a snowstorm, showing its orange breast with snowflakes falling around it.
An American Robin braves a winter storm, perched on a branch with snowflakes falling. Captured in Chester County, Pennsylvania, this photo highlights the robin’s resilience during harsh weather.

Quiet Poetry

There is a quiet poetry in the way a robin endures the cold. On a day where the snow falls in soft whispers, blanketing the earth in a stillness that hushes all sound, this robin stood as a symbol of resilience—bold, unmoved by the weight of the storm. It perched with calm defiance, its vibrant orange breast a beacon of warmth against the muted winter backdrop.

In that moment, I wondered what thoughts crossed the robin’s mind. Did it dream of spring, of lush green lawns and the pull of earthworms beneath the soil? Or had it, like the trees around it, surrendered fully to the season, content to weather the storm with patience and quiet strength?

A Stillness in Motion

There’s something ethereal about photographing birds in the snow. The world slows down. The air is heavy, but the robin moves lightly—its gaze steady, its posture unwavering. Each snowflake, though it falls delicately, feels like a pause in time. It is as if the robin exists in its own world, where winter is neither an obstacle nor an intrusion, but simply a passage.

Capturing this scene required the same patience the robin displayed. The quiet snowfall, the fleeting moments when the robin adjusted its feathers—it all unfolded slowly, deliberately. It’s not often that you see such moments of stillness in birds, whose movements are typically quick, darting, and unpredictable. But in this winter storm, there was a mutual understanding between photographer and bird: sometimes, the best moments are found in the wait.

The Boldness of the Ordinary

Robins are often considered ordinary. Familiar to anyone with a backyard, their presence is almost expected, like a promise renewed each year. But on this day, as the robin perched on a snow-covered branch, there was nothing ordinary about it. The robin, bathed in the soft light of a winter afternoon, took on a new form—its vibrant breast and dark, watchful eye becoming something extraordinary amidst the pale world surrounding it.

It is in these moments that nature speaks softly, reminding us that beauty often hides in the familiar, waiting for the right light, the right moment, to reveal itself fully. The robin, with its usual grace, showed me once again that no bird, no scene, is ever truly ordinary if seen with the right eye.

Winter’s Quiet Witness

There is a loneliness to winter that the robin seems to accept with grace. Unlike the bustling flocks of spring, this robin stood alone, a quiet witness to the falling snow. And yet, in its solitude, there was no sadness—only resolve. The robin did not fly away, nor did it call out in search of others. It remained still, allowing the snow to fall around it, as though it understood that there is a time to embrace solitude, to rest in the quiet of the season.

In that moment, I, too, found stillness. There was no rush to capture the shot, no need to move hurriedly. I took in the scene, appreciating the robin not just as a subject, but as a fellow participant in the winter’s calm. The photograph, then, became not just a record of a bird in the snow, but a shared experience of quiet endurance—of being present in the moment, regardless of the cold.

In the Footsteps of Spring

As I captured the robin’s steady gaze, I couldn’t help but think of what lay ahead. Beneath the snow, the earth still lives, waiting. And perhaps the robin knows this, too. Its breast, the color of spring’s early dawn, hints at the season yet to come—a reminder that winter, for all its quiet beauty, is but a prelude.

This robin, perched on a branch, endures not because it must, but because it is nature’s way. Seasons come and go, but the robin remains, year after year, bearing witness to the cycles of life. In the snow, it carries the promise of new beginnings, of days when the ground will thaw, and the world will awaken once more.

Reflections on a Winter’s Day

This photograph of the robin in the snow is more than just a moment frozen in time—it’s a reflection of nature’s quiet resilience, of the beauty found in the ordinary, and of the stillness we all need to embrace from time to time. As I look at this image, I am reminded that, like the robin, we, too, can stand firm in the face of life’s storms, finding beauty and strength in the coldest of days.

Bird Profiles

House Wrens: The Busy Birds of Summer

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House wren flying to a wooden birdhouse with a spider in its beak, while a hungry chick waits at the entrance, photographed in June 2023 in Chester County, PA.
Captured in June 2023, this house wren brings a spider back to its nest to feed a hungry chick in a wooden birdhouse in Chester County, PA.

House wrens are small but mighty birds that fill the air with their bubbly songs and tireless energy. These cavity-nesting birds are a common sight in Chester County during the summer, busily raising their young and foraging for insects. In June 2023, I captured this moment of a house wren bringing a spider back to its nest, a testament to their relentless dedication as parents.

In this post, we’ll explore the life of these wrens, their nesting habits, and how you can attract them to your own backyard.

Identification: What Does a House Wren Look Like?

House wrens (Troglodytes aedon) are small, brown birds with short tails often held upright. They have thin, slightly curved bills and lack the bold markings seen on many other small songbirds. While they may appear unassuming at first glance, house wrens are anything but dull. Their energetic behavior and constant movement make them fun to watch, and their bubbly, complex song is unmistakable.

Adults are around 4.3 to 5.1 inches in length with a wingspan of about 5.9 inches. Their brownish-gray plumage blends well with their surroundings, but their lively movements often give them away.

Like house wrens, white-breasted nuthatches are small, active birds that often forage for insects and build their nests in tree cavities. Learn more about their fascinating behaviors here: https://www.mrbirdmanphotography.com/white-breasted-nuthatch/.

Nesting Habits: A Family Affair

House wrens are cavity nesters, meaning they seek out small openings in trees, man-made birdhouses, or other nooks and crannies to build their nests. They’re highly territorial and aggressive when defending their chosen nesting spot, often chasing off much larger birds to ensure the safety of their young.

In the image above, I captured a parent wren returning to the nest with a spider, ready to feed its eager chick. This is a common sight during the summer months, as house wrens are dedicated parents, making countless trips each day to feed their young.

These wrens typically lay between 4 and 8 eggs, which hatch after about two weeks of incubation. Both parents are involved in feeding the chicks, and the young will fledge the nest after around 15-17 days. Even after fledging, the parents may continue to feed their offspring for a short period.

Feeding and Foraging: The Search for Spiders

House wrens primarily eat insects and spiders, making them a beneficial bird to have around your garden. In this photo, the parent bird has caught a spider, a common prey item, to feed its chick. Their diet includes beetles, caterpillars, ants, flies, and other small invertebrates, which they forage for on the ground or in vegetation.

They’re also known for their habit of inspecting crevices, under leaves, and along tree bark to find hidden food. Their small size and agility allow them to reach areas that larger birds may not.

Attracting House Wrens to Your Backyard

If you’d like to attract house wrens to your backyard, providing suitable nesting sites is key. Here are a few tips to make your space more inviting to these busy birds:

  1. Birdhouses: Install a wren house with an entrance hole about 1 inch in diameter. Wrens are known to use man-made birdhouses, so placing one in your yard may attract a nesting pair.
  2. Native Plants: Planting native shrubs and trees provides cover and food sources for house wrens and other birds.
  3. Insect-Friendly Garden: Since wrens rely on insects for food, avoiding pesticides and planting insect-attracting plants can create a wren-friendly environment.
  4. Keep Nest Boxes Clean: After the breeding season, clean out birdhouses to prevent the spread of parasites and make the space ready for future nesting.

Why House Wrens Are Perfect Summer Companions

These birds may be small, but they play a big role in keeping garden pests in check. Their relentless pursuit of insects helps to control pest populations naturally, and their active presence brings life and song to any yard. These birds are particularly enjoyable to watch during the breeding season, as they zip around, tirelessly gathering food for their young.

Final Thoughts

House wrens are one of the most fascinating birds to observe during the summer months in Chester County. Their dedication to their young, lively behavior, and constant song make them a welcome addition to any backyard. By providing nesting sites and maintaining an insect-friendly garden, you can enjoy the company of these tireless little birds all summer long.

If you enjoyed this post and want to learn more about local birds, follow along on my blog and Instagram at @Mrbirdmanphotography for more birdwatching tips, stories, and behind-the-scenes insights!