Anyone versed in the nerve-fraying job of pleading with a toddler to sit still for a set of portraits at Sears can appreciate the photographic skill of Doris Dumrauf, an award-winning Robinson shutterbug accustomed to shooting uncooperative subjects.

	Doris Dumrauf, of Robinson, recently took first prize in WildBird Magazine's amateur photography contest with this picture of a Tufted Titmouse. Amy Hooper, a spokeswoman for the magazine, said the entry stood out because it was a technically crisp, in-action shot of "a darn cute bird.". Click photo for larger image.

Mrs. Dumrauf doesn't train her lens on fidgety tiny tots, but rather flighty tufted titmice, small birds that don't exactly strike a pose upon command.

Mrs. Dumrauf recently took first prize in a field of 1,100 worldwide entries in WildBird Magazine's amateur photography contest with her picture of one of the diminutive chirpers hopping off of a twig. WildBird is published by Irvine, Calif.-based Bow Tie Inc., the parent company of several national animal enthusiast publications, including Dog Fancy, Cat Fancy and Horse Illustrated magazines.

Amy Hooper, a spokeswoman for the magazine, said Mrs. Dumrauf's entry stood out not only because of its technical clarity, but also because the shot captures an in-action moment of, as she put it, "a darn cute bird."

"Taking pictures of birds requires an incredible amount of patience as well as being at the right place at the right time," Ms. Hooper said. "Some people use feeders or drips to get the birds to show up, but they don't always do that. Or they do, and then the light isn't right. You can't say to a bird, could you move a little to the right, please?"

According to The Birdhouse Network, an informational Web site maintained by the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, the North American tufted titDoris Dumrauf, mouse is a year-round resident of forests in the eastern United States. It prefers habitat containing a variety of tree species with a fairly dense canopy and will nest in or near swamps, orchards, parks and other suburban areas, in this case, Mrs. Dumrauf's back yard.

Males and females look alike. The birds' upper parts are all gray, and the belly and breast are a lighter gray or white. The flanks are chestnut or rust in color. The crest is gray, the forehead is black, and the area around the eyes is light gray. They eat mostly insects.

Ms. Hooper said the digital camera revolution had allowed even hobbyist photographers to take "tack-sharp pictures" of fast moving animals. Dumrauf uses a digital camera for the obvious budgetary advantages.

"You can shoot as many pictures as you want without the cost of film and developing and just delete the others," she said.

This year's contest fielded the highest number of entries in its 17-year history, making her award all the more impressive. For her efforts, Mrs. Dumrauf was awarded a pair of Eagle Optics Ranger Platinum Class binoculars, which retail for $379.

A native of Kaiserslautern, in the Rheinland-Palatine state in Western Germany, near Ramstein Air Force Base and the French border, Mrs. Dumrauf graduated from the New York Institute of Photography in 1994.

She moved to Pittsburgh shortly afterward and began shooting pictures of area neighborhoods, state parks and fall foliage. A gallery of her work can be seen on her Web site, www.dorisdumrauf.com. She has done writing and photography on a freelance basis for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania Magazine and some travel Web sites.

For now, though, she said, her favorite shots are those she takes of birds, because the opportunities to photograph a wide variety of species can occur literally "right in your back yard."