Female Bushtit perched in a Netleaf Hackberry – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I have had my share of issues and frustrations taking photos of Bushtits. Usually I hear these tiny, hyperactive birds before I see them. There have been far too many times that I wasn’t able to get close enough to them before they moved on. Just last month that happened with a large flock of Bushtits in the West Desert. All of the photos I took were long distance documentary style photos.
Tip: I know that there are some birds species that move quickly and that I have to get close to them fast, without any hesitation at all, or I’ll miss out on photographing them. The saying “He who hesitates is lost” applies with Bushtits.
Tip adjacent to the above tip: I know if I move too fast on the roads in habitat that this species prefers I might not hear their soft calls in time to spot the itty-bitty gray balls of feathers moving around in trees so the saying “Haste makes waste” can apply to them as well.
Adult Bushtit female foraging in a hackberry tree – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I’ve tried many times to take photos of these little gray dynamos since I moved to Utah in 2009. The flocks of Bushtits seem to have three speeds, fast, faster and hyper-drive.
Picking just one of them to track doesn’t always work out so my eyes have to be in hyper-drive mode too and more often than not by the time I focus on one Bushtit they are gone before I can hit the shutter button.
I’ve seen them when they are on the wrong side of the light and haven’t been able to circle back on the good side of the light. I’ve seen them when the fog was too heavy to focus on them. I’ve heard their calls but they were so deep in the brush I couldn’t see or focus on them.
Male Bushtit peeking out of a hackberry tree – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Bushtits have been a nemesis species for me.
I remember camping outside near Capitol Reef National Park in Torrey, Utah where I kept hearing a twittering call that I was trying to identify. I turned on my iBird Pro app and scrolled through some calls of birds I thought I might be hearing. When I played the calls of Bushtits the birds all flew right towards me. Some of them within less than 10 feet.
And guess what? I didn’t have my camera at hand because I was simply trying to figure out what birds I was hearing. I don’t ever use recordings to call birds in close to me so I had great views of the birds but no photos. I was profoundly disappointed because the Bushtits didn’t hang around or reappear at that campsite.
Adult male Bushtit taking a short break from foraging – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Yesterday I was able to cross Bushtits off of my mental nemesis bird list up north in Box Elder County. Finally. After eleven long years.
A flock of about thirty Bushtits were actively foraging in several Netleaf Hackberry trees that weren’t far from the dusty gravel road. The first time I saw them they moved away from the trees but on the second stop at the hackberry trees they hung around long enough for me to take Bushtit photos I am happy with.
Autumn female Bushtit – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Taking photos of them was still a challenge because they were either in faster or hyper-drive mode (see the three speeds above) plus it was difficult to see them amongst the leaves and branches of the trees.
Male Bushtit clinging to a hackberry leaf – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2500, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
From time to time one of the Bushtits would stop moving while it was out in the open long enough for me to take a few photos before they seemingly teleported to another part of the tree.
Bushtit male perched on a branch – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I took hundreds of photos of these tiny, gray Bushtits as they zoomed from one part of the trees to another and I’ll have hundreds of photos to toss into my delete bin once I have had a chance to go through them all.
Male Bushtit in Box Elder County – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2500, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I guess I could grumble and complain that the Bushtits weren’t closer, didn’t move slower, and they they didn’t perch out in the open all the time but I won’t.
Seeing and photographing the Bushtits in northern Utah was a gift that I didn’t expect yesterday and I am grateful to finally have images of them that I like.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Bushtit photos plus facts and information about this species.
You did so well! As abundant as they were, I never obtained a satisfactory photo of one when I lived in New Mexico. The light never caught their eyes and they never stopped flitting about. Also, I see that you even showed a light iris– I don’t think I ever saw this feature. Great shots of these sprites!
What a wonderful group of pics. I can’t believe how clearly you captured the eyes of the Bushtits in each shot. Thanks Mia.
Thank you. So many thank yous.
And hooray for defeated a nemesis – though I am sure there are more.
Great series, have to admit almost missed it when I was in the west birding. Congratulations on the images!!
The detail that you achieve is amazing! Thanks for taking the time to share your work.
Congratulations on getting photos. This was the first year I noticed them in Northern Utah, do they stay here in Northern Utah year round? I am use to seeing them in St George and Vegas canyons. The bush tits are a slightly different color there, they have a reddish tint, I wonder if it is from the red dirt dust baths.
Congrats on getting photos of this elusive bird. Lovely.
Why my comments always noted as duplicates I do not understand.
Congrats on getting photos of this elusive bird. Lovely.
Lovely little birds and great photos as always. Your tip could relate to Kinglets as well.
Wonderful photos of this elusive and elegantly gray tiny, nervous bird. Even seeing them, during our trips to the Rockies, has been a challenge, they move so fast, like a hungry fall warbler, they seem determined not to be seen by us. Thank you for slowing them down to the point of stillness. Lovely!