Chickadees and Hawks
The Chickadee that resides in the Wind River Canyon is the infamous Mountain Chickadee - Parus gambeli; even in the dictionary they are described as one of the tamest birds in North America. But in my experience they are the bravest, of the over one hundred species of birds, that reside in the magical Wind River Canyon. In the spring and fall, when the small hawks move through the Canyon, all small birds disappear for cover because they are now food, except the Chickadee. They put up a noisy defense that alerts everyone that is willing to listen. When I keep my ears and eyes open their signals let me know that I may have a rare visitor to stalk with my camera.
I had a Chickadee fly into a window on my cabin recently on a cloudy day; something Chickadees never do by the way. She sat in my hand, and calmed down immediately when I did my double whistle. The lovely little bird was so curious it was unnerving, she looked me up one way, and then the other, then just stared into my eyes, as I did hers. It felt that something was exchanged between us, but I can't define what it was, and maybe shouldn't really try. I've shared experiences like this with many bird species, but few seem to be as curious about people as the Chickadee.
The Mountain Chickadee has a most distinguishing characteristic, it has white eyebrows. It will lay 7 - 9 little spotted eggs in nests made of hair, in holes in the trees far above me. They are five inches beak to tail, yet this small bird will come right to me when I'm putting up sunflower seeds; they seem to fear nothing, and are quite friendly, even to strangers, and they just love peanut butter. The type here in the mountains can be identified by the buff color on their back, sides and flanks.
Because they are so brave and trusting, the Mountain Chickadee makes a very good photography subject. Once they get used to you and your clicking camera, all you need to do is concentrate your efforts on the viewfinder. I've photographed Chickadees in the Canyon for seven winters, and it's always good fun.
The two pictures in this week's blog are the result of years of effort to get something I'd visualized in my head. That's years of freezing temperatures and sneaking around with a heavy Canon and an L-series lens. The portrait of the Mountain Chickadee with the snow crystals on it's beak was cold work, the little killer Cooper's Hawk is a rare and elusive raptor that's difficult to photograph under any circumstance.
Equipment - Canon 7D with grip, 300mm f/4 lens, and 1.4 extender, no tripod.
Software - Canon Digital Photo Professional (included with camera) and Adobe Lightroom 5.
Cooper's Hawk-Wind River Canyon, WyomingA rare Raptor caught in an action pose. 
And always remember, "keep your camera ready."