marsh wren

[squirl033]

had some time this afternoon, and my knee wasn't bothering me too bad, so i headed for Juanita Bay Park in Kirkland. spent about 3 hours there, mostly gabbing with some folks i know, but i did manage this shot of a marsh wren - these little guys don't come out in the open much, and they're VERY twitchy and elusive! 40D. 350mm, 1/500 @ f/10...

 

[JaniceL]

These little wrens are hard to catch. Good Job.

 

[Christena]

Nice shot...

 

[Leia]

They aren't just hard to catch, they are hard to see. I have never seen one! Congrats!

 

[amycramer]

Nice shot! I have never been able to catch one in camera, it's always just a blur.

 

[squirl033]

thanks, ladies! yeah, these little guys are tough to spot... unless you catch the movement, you'll never find 'em. i was fortunate enough to be looking in the right direction when this little fella flitted out from cover and perched on these dead reeds for a few seconds, just long enough for the AF to lock on and let me get a couple of frames before he was gone again...

 

[Tony S]

They are quick little targets to try and track, you did well to get this one without being set up in a blind.

 

[Leia]

Rocky, we heard this beautiful song bird when walking the seasonal trail at Ridgefield today. It took a lot of doing to SEE him and even with 400mm, it was hard to spot.

Is this a marsh wren? The tail looks right...and the light stripe over the eyes, but yours looks darker. Maybe because it is from the back?

(pardon the noise in the image - quick crop, adjust post)
View attachment 6654

 

[squirl033]

yep, sure looks like one to me, Leia... nice catch! mine looks darker mostly because it's from the back, and the background makes the whole image look darker. here's another shot from Wikipedia... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MarshWrenTuleLake.jpg

these little guys are super bouncy, and they blend in so well they're almost impossible to see unless you catch them moving. ya done good!

 

[Leia]

YAY!!!Thanks for the ID. I shot everything I could today that moved to ID later. You didn't mention what great little vocalists these guys are. I really enjoyed him. Excepting of course all the missed shots as he flitted faster than fast.

 

[squirl033]

yeah, they are quite the little crooners, aren't they? between them and the yellowthroats, i'm not sure which has the prettier call, but they both make some beautiful noises!

 

[KAtkins]

I love little birdies! Great pics!

 

[squirl033]

I love little birdies! Great pics!

thanks, Kim. as Groucho used to say, i got a million of 'em!