Brown Creepers must be the winner in the category of “most calm, friendly and tame birds that are yet the most difficult to get a good photo of” because they stay glued to the tree bark and rarely stop moving, spiraling up and down the trunk. They examine every crevice they can for any small insects or spiders, locking those big feet on the bark and staying steady with their long tail, using that large curved bill to snag their snack.
I have plenty of semi-blurry photos of the species and even more that are too dark or obstructed. Today I took out my camera to photograph a few of the typical resident species on a lovely afternoon and ended up unexpectedly spotting this bird within 30 seconds. I spent the remainder of my time shooting a couple hundred shots of it.
At least I was able to get several with it semi-paused! You can see it examining hidden spots in the rugged bark of a tulip tree above, finding a few bites as winged insects took to the air around us and other woodland birds sang and called loudly. Spring is springing soon enough…
Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
