The chickadees were diving down the middle of this rotting birch stump to get material for, I assume, their nest. The second one arrived just as I took the exposure, which made the shot considerably better.
Thanks for the comments. I like the second bird slighly out of focus, less distracting from the primary subject. Unfortunately, the D60/500/1.4T.C. combo at 20 feet has only a 0.543" depth of field (seehttp://www2.liquidsculpture.com/DOF/DOF.htm). Needed the wide aperature to get a sufficient shutter speed; didn't want to up the ASA (noise?). Always a compromise! This shot was handheld with Image Stabilization.
-Kevin
This is a really cute shot! I love the colors, background, composition, and the chickadee with the beak full of wood - very unusual event. I agree with Mary Anne about having the other bird in focus - maybe next time - great shot though :-) CJ
Nice shot, Kevin. The colors are well saturated. Too bad the second bird is not in better focus, but I think you're right in saying that it adds to the photo.
--Mary Anne