{"id":54200,"date":"2018-09-19T05:04:41","date_gmt":"2018-09-19T11:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=54200"},"modified":"2025-05-09T10:22:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T15:22:00","slug":"black-capped-chickadee-plus-the-colors-of-autumn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/09\/19\/black-capped-chickadee-plus-the-colors-of-autumn\/","title":{"rendered":"Black-capped Chickadee Plus the Colors of Autumn"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the Northern Hemisphere September 22 marks the official beginning of autumn this year on the calendar but I have been enjoying fall colors now for several weeks.<\/p>\n<p>My unofficial autumn started several weeks ago when I first started seeing the chokecherry leaves begin to turn red in the high country of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wasatch_Range\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a> east of the Salt Lake Valley.<\/p>\n<p>Not long after that I&#8217;ve seen maples, poplars, willows, serviceberries, hawthorns and aspens all start to change colors and every trip up into the mountains has been a visual treat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter wp-image-143824 size-full\" title=\"Black-capped Chickadee and Autumn leaves, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-autumn-leaves-mia-mcpherson-9183.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-autumn-leaves-mia-mcpherson-9183.jpg\" alt=\"Black-capped Chickadee and Autumn leaves, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah\" width=\"850\" height=\"607\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27850%27%20height%3D%27607%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20850%20607%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27850%27%20height%3D%27607%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-autumn-leaves-mia-mcpherson-9183-200x143.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-autumn-leaves-mia-mcpherson-9183-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-autumn-leaves-mia-mcpherson-9183-400x286.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-autumn-leaves-mia-mcpherson-9183-600x428.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-autumn-leaves-mia-mcpherson-9183-768x548.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-autumn-leaves-mia-mcpherson-9183.jpg 850w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Black-capped Chickadee and Autumn leaves &#8211; Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Here in Utah the beginning of autumn isn&#8217;t so much about the official calendar but is more about altitude, the higher you are the sooner autumn makes an appearance.<\/p>\n<p>Currently I am enjoying searching for and photographing the birds that migrate through Utah during the fall and those that stay here in Utah all year long with the colors of autumn in my photos.<\/p>\n<p>Typically I would prefer that all of the body of this Black-capped Chickadee was free of the out of focus elements in front of it but visually the abstract jumble of autumn colored leaves stimulates my eyes and my brain.<\/p>\n<p>The colors rather than the calendar tell me that autumn has arrived in the high country of Utah.<\/p>\n<p>It is still too hot, too dry, too smoky and too summery in the Salt Lake Valley but a few miles away and with a gain of a couple thousand feet of altitude I can enjoy autumn with her profusion of colors, cooler temperatures and the birds I am so passionate about.<\/p>\n<p>Life <em>is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n<p>Mia<\/p>\n<p>Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/black-capped-chickadee-images\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Black-capped Chickadee photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Typically I would prefer that all of the body of this Black-capped Chickadee was free of the out of focus elements in front of it but visually the abstract jumble of Autumn colored leaves stimulates my eyes and my brain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":143824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,6720,6742,4594,26,773],"tags":[4004,970,5477,6722,3940,6273,6274,5436,4069,6721],"class_list":["post-54200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-black-capped-chickadees","category-little-dutch-hollow","category-morgan-county","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-adult","tag-autumn","tag-autumn-colors","tag-black-capped-chickadee","tag-canyon","tag-chickadee","tag-chickadees","tag-fall-colors","tag-mountains","tag-poecile-atricapillus"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-autumn-leaves-mia-mcpherson-9183.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-e6c","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":59688,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/08\/23\/calling-black-capped-chickadee-perched-in-the-open\/","url_meta":{"origin":54200,"position":0},"title":"Calling Black-capped Chickadee Perched In The Open","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago this Black-capped Chickadee and several other others were moving through a willow thicket in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains where I had been focusing on photographing warblers, tanagers, and vireos.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-capped Chickadee calling, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-singing-mia-mcpherson-3538.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-singing-mia-mcpherson-3538.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-singing-mia-mcpherson-3538.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-singing-mia-mcpherson-3538.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":101947,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/04\/28\/black-capped-chickadee-hanging-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":54200,"position":1},"title":"Black-capped Chickadee Hanging Out","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"On Sunday I had this delightfully cheery, tiny Black-capped Chickadee hanging from a branch in my viewfinder for a few moments in time.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-capped Chickadee hanging onto a branch, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/black-capped-chickadee-hanging-mia-mcpherson-9119.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/black-capped-chickadee-hanging-mia-mcpherson-9119.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/black-capped-chickadee-hanging-mia-mcpherson-9119.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/black-capped-chickadee-hanging-mia-mcpherson-9119.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72631,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/08\/11\/black-capped-chickadee-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":54200,"position":2},"title":"Black-capped Chickadee In The Wasatch Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I saw and heard Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees yesterday morning but only this Black-capped Chickadee came in close enough for me to photograph.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Calling adult Black-capped Chickadee, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-adult-calling-mia-mcpherson-9534.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-adult-calling-mia-mcpherson-9534.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-adult-calling-mia-mcpherson-9534.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-adult-calling-mia-mcpherson-9534.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53569,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/08\/13\/black-capped-chickadees-photographed-in-a-mountain-canyon\/","url_meta":{"origin":54200,"position":3},"title":"Black-capped Chickadees Photographed In A Mountain Canyon","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I spent some time yesterday morning observing, photographing and enjoying the songs and calls of Black-capped Chickadees in a high mountain canyon. Chickadees always bring a smile to my lips and yesterday was no exception.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-capped Chickadee about to take flight, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-taking-flight-mia-mcpherson-4428.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-taking-flight-mia-mcpherson-4428.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-taking-flight-mia-mcpherson-4428.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-taking-flight-mia-mcpherson-4428.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":94136,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/08\/28\/black-capped-chickadee-photos-foraging-in-common-mulleins\/","url_meta":{"origin":54200,"position":4},"title":"Black-capped Chickadee Photos &#8211; Foraging in Common Mulleins","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago I was able to spend a few minutes taking Black-capped Chickadee photos as small flock of them foraged in Common Mulleins.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-capped Chickadee and Common Mulleins, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-mullein-mia-mcpherson-6519.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-mullein-mia-mcpherson-6519.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-mullein-mia-mcpherson-6519.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-mullein-mia-mcpherson-6519.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":73416,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/09\/04\/two-black-capped-chickadee-photos-from-this-week\/","url_meta":{"origin":54200,"position":5},"title":"Two Black-capped Chickadee Photos From This Week","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm happy to have had these two little Black-capped Chickadees in my viewfinder this week. I enjoy seeing, hearing, and photographing these perky primarily black and white birds.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-capped Chickadee close up in the Wasatch Mountains, East Canyon, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-close-up-mia-mcpherson-1218.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-close-up-mia-mcpherson-1218.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-close-up-mia-mcpherson-1218.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-capped-chickadee-close-up-mia-mcpherson-1218.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}