The Caterpillar Service – Day Three
It’s Day Three of following the Long-Tail Bushtit family on waste ground near my house in South Devon. I say ‘waste ground’ because that’s what other people call it. It’s actually the remnants of the natural world. It’s next to a busy public footpath in the middle of a bramble patch.
There are five adults serving the chicks hidden deep within with a constant stream of caterpillars and other invertebrates. It’s no wonder chicks grow so quickly with all that nutrition.
I’ve managed a few flight shots so far, that I’m happy with, so I decide I’m going to concentrate on getting shots of them perched this evening. They land on a whole variety of different perches on their circuitous route into the nest. I choose the best angle for a neutral background, focus on a likely perch and wait.
What a little darling.
There are more interesting shots available but with busier backgrounds.
Who knew there were quite so many caterpillars within such a short flying distance of this spot? Not me. The trees must be weighed down with them.
There are also a few spiders held tight in tiny beaks. I love that when they catch an invertebrate they bash it by wiping it across a branch to kill it. Some caterpillars take quite a bit of killing.
That’s enough perched shots for now. I’ve got to go soon, I’m cooking dinner, so I decide to get some flight shots in my next and last chance. I have to wait about twenty minutes before they come back again and I only get the one shot.
It’s one I’m delighted with. Other people might like something else, but this photograph makes me very happy. I like that the background looks like decorative Victorian wallpaper in a stately home. And the pose is just what I wished for.
It’s time to go. I’ll be back tomorrow to see how they’re getting on feeding their invisible chicks. I’ve got a few ideas for a different approach to photographing them so I look forward to your company tomorrow.
More Long-Tailed Bushtits
The Caterpillar Service – Day Eight I only have a snatched hour with the Long-Tailed Bushtits today. I still get some lovely views. I've been trying… read more
The Caterpillar Service – Day Seven Today the Long-Tailed Bushtits are working as hard as ever to gather invertebrates: After a week I'm much happier with… read more
The Caterpillar Service – Day Six Here's the scene next to a busy public footpath: It may appear tranquil but deep within the brambles is a… read more
The Caterpillar Service – Day Five The caterpillars keep on coming. Beak-fulls of them. Green ones, brown ones, grey ones and orange ones; they've all been… read more
The Caterpillar Service – Day Four It's Day Four of photographing Long-Tailed Bushtits for me. After all, what is there to do when I've got no… read more
The Caterpillar Service – Day Two Yesterday I spent five hours on a public footpath overlooking a Long-Tailed Bushtits' nest. I'm happy that I wasn't disturbing… read more
The Caterpillar Service – Day One The call of the Long-Tailed Bushtit is quite distinctive. It must be, because even I can recognise it. 'Tsurp', they… read more