behavior

A Wren and the Guard Rail /  by Todd Henson

A Carolina wren sitting atop a guard rail post.

Today I wanted to share an interesting and humorous little bit of behavior my father and I observed from a Carolina wren while we were hiking the trails of a local state park. We had just exited the woods and the trail then paralleled the entrance road, the two being separated by a guard rail to protect any hikers.

As I exited the woods I noticed a small wren sitting atop one of the guard rail posts, its tail tilted upward in that characteristic wren fashion, with their fast little movements. My father and I stopped and I attempted to capture a few photographs. The light wasn’t ideal and I didn’t have as long a lens as I’d have liked for this subject, but I still wanted to capture any images I could. I love wrens and sometimes they do interesting things. This one didn’t disappoint.

The Carolina wren hopped to the guard rail facing us.

I wouldn’t say the wren was overly afraid of us, but at the same time it obviously wanted a little more space, so it hopped onto the guard rail facing us and then quickly hopped down into the bottom hollow of the inside of the guard rail, watching us the entire time. When it moved into the hollow between the guard rail and the post I quickly moved a little closer. Doing this I could get closer without it seeing me move. Sometimes this lets you get closer to a subject. It’s similar to waiting until a diving duck dives under water before moving closer to the pond. Only move when the wildlife doesn’t see you.

Hopping along the bottom hollow of the guard rail the Carolina wren tilts its head back watching us.

When it popped back out into the open, still in the bottom hollow of the guard rail, it paused and looked our way. It hopped on to the next guard rail post and went through that little gap. Once again, I moved to keep up with it, but only moving while it was hidden behind the post.

After emerging from the other side of the guard rail post the Carolina wren once again looks our way.

I captured one final image of it pausing before entering the next hollow. After it emerged from the other side it flew up into the nearby trees where it met up with what appeared to be two or three more Carolina wrens.

A final photo of the Carolina wren pausing before hopping into the hollow between rail and post.

Watching it hop along that guard rail hollow, and moving between guard rail and post, was such an interesting behavior and one we thoroughly enjoyed watching. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little retelling of the experience.

Have you seen similar behavior from wrens or other birds?

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Singing Barn Swallow - The Story Behind the Image /  by Todd Henson

Singing Barn Swallow. Open wide!

When I photograph a bird for the first time I focus initially on just trying to get a good enough image to identify the bird. I have some interest in the nature and biology of wildlife, as well as in photographing it. Then I work on getting the best image I can at that time and in that setting, trying to get closer, picking a better background, moving around the bird until the angle of light is as pleasing as possible. After I’ve captured a nice image I start looking for interesting behavior. Every animal exhibits interesting behaviors. You just have to be patient and spend enough time with them. I guarantee, if you do this you will see some interesting behaviors.

The little barn swallow in these photos was a fantastic subject. Swallows are very interesting birds. They tend to move around a lot, and when flying perform some incredible acrobatics. I often try to photograph these birds in flight, but it’s very difficult. As you can see, I did not manage any flight shots at this setting.

Barn Swallow looking this way with head to the right. Notice the forked tail.

Barn swallows are also very beautiful birds. They have a metallic blue head, back, and wings that just shine in sunlight. And the front of their face and chest are a gorgeous rust orange tone that gets lighter further down the body. I love their forked tail, another distinct feature of barn swallows. 

Side view of Barn Swallow

I was lucky to have several convenient perches very close to the boardwalk I was on. And barn swallows in this area are not at all afraid of people, so I was fairly close to this one. It would sometimes take to the air, fly around a bit, then return to one of the perches. I spent almost 10 minutes photographing the bird at this specific perch, and another 30 minutes or more at another perch.

Barn Swallow looking up into the sky

You can see a range of behavior in these photos. In one the barn swallow looks straight up to the sky, mouth slightly open. I don’t recall what was in the sky that day. It might have been an osprey or a great blue heron, or perhaps another barn swallow. In other photos the swallow is just looking one way or another. In one it began flapping its wings, but unfortunately I wasn’t prepared for this and ended up cropping the ends of the wings. But I include the photo to show the different behaviors you can see.

Barn Swallow flapping its wings

My favorite behavior of the day was when the barn swallow faced me directly and began singing, almost as if it were serenading me. You can see right down its throat. And notice the nice little catch light in the left eye (the bird’s right eye). The sun was behind me, providing front light to the swallow, and allowing the eye to reflect the light of the sun. I often try to position myself similar to this to place a natural catch light in the eye. There’s something about catch lights that really bring a photo to life. Take a look at a few magazines some time, look for catch lights in the eyes of the people or animals in the photos. I bet you’ll see at least a few. Portrait photographers often try to include catch lights in the eyes of their subjects, sometimes placing flashes or strobes for exactly this purpose.

My favorite behavior: Singing Barn Swallow

I love these little birds for their bright colors, beautiful form, and graceful movements. And I love them for their bold and brave behavior, allowing me to get closer than with many other birds. I hope I’ve been able to pass on a little of my excitement for these wonderful birds.

For another example of interesting bird behavior see my post about a stretching female red-winged blackbird.

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