Black-capped Chickadee captured by Z 6III / Z600f4TC @840mm
The day and New Year started just as it ended here yesterday, cool and snowy. Sunset last night found me focused on the activity in our crabapple tree, the Mountain & Black-capped Chickadees, Red & White-breasted Nuthatches, siskins, flickers, and the always fun but annoying Sharp-shinned Hawk. Sunrise found me right back where I stopped last year (twelve hours ago) as I still had one shot in mind. With the falling snow and 21-degree temps, the shot I want was a long shot, the chickadees feeding on the crabapple fruits. The issue is, that the fruit is frozen at that temp. WB was set at A2, ISO 1600, and I was focused just a tad past my minimum 14ft MFD. I had a clear shot of where I wanted them to land but that wasn’t to be. So them I put my attention on a few perches with a little color in the background like you see here. And if you’re wondering, sunset will find me right back in the same place working on the shot, it’s a delightful 21 degree start.