I love getting out in the field and photographing raptors when I can find them, but there is something to be said about shooting the tiny birds, too. It is such a challenge. Most of them can only be found in dense brush or small trees. I have found that I get the best results if I just use only a single focus point when using my Canon &D Mk II. If I use more like the five-point or nine-point, there is too much clutter in the branches to get the bird in focus. Of course, with the single-point, the trick is to get that fleeting little bird in the viewfinder. Also for your information, I use my Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens. For my settings I shoot Shutter Priority at usually 1/1600 or 1/2000 sec. I set the ISO at Auto, at a maximum of 1600, and the aperture just floats pretty much wide open. I keep my thumb on the big dial on the back of the camera, so I can adjust the Exposure Value quickly if needed.
My post-processing is quite simple. It is a secret recipe handed down. I just crop for composition, then adjust the lighting and/or the contrast, and perhaps tweak the color saturation. I then adjust the sharpening to compensate for any loss when I crop close.
I have been able to come upon a couple of areas where I have been successful in spotting several species of those tiny variety. Here are a few of those, plus a few of my other images that I captured the past ten days. I hope you enjoy.
The Pine Warbler is somewhat rare for the San Angelo area, although they are spotted occasionally. This one surprised me when I was observing an area of cat-tails near Lake Nasworthy. It is the first one of this species that I have seen this season.

Pine Warbler
Nearby in the same area, this House Wren popped into view. Wrens sometime give me a hard time in trying to identify them. This was early morning, and at first I thought it was a Marsh Wren, but after perusing my Stokes’ guide I was able to discern the correct ID.

House Wren
I got real lucky with the light when photographing this Bewick’s Wren. Again, we were early getting to San Angelo State Park, and the morning sun was at a perfect angle.

Bewick’s Wren
The goldfinches are starting to arrive.

American Goldfinch
The Lincoln’s Sparrow is one of my favorites of that species. Easily identified with that beige coloring in the breast.

Lincoln’s Sparrow
Another easily identified sparrow, the White-crowned.

White-crowned Sparrow
We were in an area favored by the Spotted Towhee when this Green-tailed Towhee showed. I was quite thrilled as it is another rarity here in the Concho Valley. The wind was blowing a bit, and it fluffed up it’s crown.

Green-tailed Towhee
As I said, we were in the area so this Spotted Towhee decided it needed to show off a little bit, too. He appeared on an upper branch so I was able to get a nice background of the nice blue sky.

Spotted Towhee
Before we left to come home, I spotted this Red-tailed Hawk making a fly-by. I couldn’t resist getting this last shot.

Red-tailed Hawk
That is all for this post. I hope you enjoyed my narrative and the photographs. I appreciate any and all comments you might have.
Enjoy the snowfall. 🙂
Happy Birding!!
I’d like to see a covey of Bob White Quail flying towards you with all birds in sharp focus. I’ll buy the prints. : )
Thank you, Anonymous. I would loke to see that, too. 🙂 You would have to tell me know who you are so I know where to send it. 🙂
Excellent, as is your usual, and captures these little guys so well. Loved the GT Towhee.
Thank you very much, Carl. The Green-taifled Towhee is a rarity around here, so I was happy to find it.
I never tire of seeing your beautiful photographs—or learning about birds from you and Ann!!
Thank you very much, Becky. I am so glad that you enjoy my work, and also am glad that you and Bob enjoy going with us. 🙂
Your photos are so fine, and I really appreciated the information about your settings. I’m constantly trying new things on the recommendations of others. It’s not a very methodical way of learning, but it works, and I’ve never used a single focus point. I’m going to try that next weekend, and see what happens!
Thank you so much for writing, shoreacres. I might mention that I use the single focus point when I am shooting birds or other small wildlife. For my landscape type photos I use a much wider focus zone. But, I agree, to learn is to try different methods, then pick what works for you.
Great captures Bob! Nice work! 🙂
Thank you very much, H. J. 🙂
A great mix of the little birds, Bob. And as always, your shots show off your talents. Keep ’em coming!
Thank you so much for writing, and for your compliments. They are much appreciated.
Great photos, Bob, and I really appreciate your post-processing procedure and settings for capturing the little ones. Your suggestions are always welcome and believe me, used.
Thanks, John. I am glad you are able to use my suggestions. They don’t work for everyone, but they work for me.
These brighten my day.
Thanks, Sherry. I appreciate that statement. 🙂
LOVE THE TINY BIRDS..YOUR PHOTOS ARE SO FABULOUS
Thank you very much, Syl. Nice to hear from you. I hope all is well with you and yours. 🙂