It was around 0°F this morning, but that didn’t stop a trio of chickadees from exploring some maple branches that were broken off in a recent storm. Rapidly moving from place to place, this chickadee kept tapping the bark repeatedly, searching for…what? Chickadees search the under bark for dormant insects, but also to seek out places to hide bits of food—and they’re very good at remembering where they put it! A 600mm lens was able to help me get close enough to the chickadees for these portraits.

Like all birds, Chickadees are warm-blooded and maintain a daytime body temperature of about 105°F, so they need plenty of calories in the winter—hence the early morning exploration in the cold. Luckily, they can help keep themselves warm by fluffing out their feathers to create insulating air pockets, as this chickadee is doing. Despite the cold weather, chickadees seem pretty content, happily flying and hopping around, curious and singing.

In his book Wandering Through Winter, naturalist Edwin Way Teale wrote, “On the roughest days of winter, when life seems overwhelmed by storm and cold, watch a chickadee, observe its good cheer and take heart.”

From The Hill

Photographers often use reflector boards to control the lighting of their photos by bouncing light from the sun onto other objects. But did you know you can also use your camera to capture reflected light that bounced off the Earth itself? It’s not that difficult, but you do need exactly the right conditions.
It was a cold, windy, February day during a blizzard—but the weather was not enough to stop this brave flock of small birds with red caps. They used their short beaks to pry seeds out of dried birch catkins. These hardy birds are Redpolls.
But the deer don't seem to mind.
How do chickadees live in cold temperatures?
A pair of Sandhill Cranes arrive on the farm...only to find there is still snow on the ground!
The snow continues to fall...and presents a photographic opportunity.
A winter weather encounter with three hungry whitetail deer.

02/02/2018

Look what just arrived today, our author copy of our latest book, "Chicken DIY: 20 Fun-to-Make Projects for Happy, Healthy Chickens." Always a fun moment! Written and photographed by Fox Hill Photo's Daniel Johnson and Samantha Johnson.
We're now in week two of our two-week online Winter Horse Photography course that we put on with the Equine Photographers Network.

02/01/2017

Fox Hill Photo launches its new blog! We hope to bring you a little more insight into the work we do, our photography process, and the great place we live!

Chickadees in the Cold

1/18/2022 12:29:01 PM

It was around 0°F this morning, but that didn’t stop a trio of chickadees from exploring some maple branches that were broken off in a recent storm. Rapidly moving from place to place, this chickadee kept tapping the bark repeatedly, searching for…what? Chickadees search the under bark for dormant insects, but also to seek out places to hide bits of food—and they’re very good at remembering where they put it! A 600mm lens was able to help me get close enough to the chickadees for these portraits.

Like all birds, Chickadees are warm-blooded and maintain a daytime body temperature of about 105°F, so they need plenty of calories in the winter—hence the early morning exploration in the cold. Luckily, they can help keep themselves warm by fluffing out their feathers to create insulating air pockets, as this chickadee is doing. Despite the cold weather, chickadees seem pretty content, happily flying and hopping around, curious and singing.

In his book Wandering Through Winter, naturalist Edwin Way Teale wrote, “On the roughest days of winter, when life seems overwhelmed by storm and cold, watch a chickadee, observe its good cheer and take heart.”