Posts in Category: woodpecker
Downy Male
The female Downy Woodpecker returned to our feeding station almost a week ago, but it was not until yesterday that we saw the male with her. When she is alone, she will sit on the arm that holds the suet or on the suet itself while I stand on the deck 15 feet way. When he is with her, both are off as soon as they see my shadow on the inside of the glass of the deck door. Still, he spent a lot of time in the trees beyond and above the feeding station yesterday, and I was able, thanks to the digitally enhanced reach of the zoom on my OM-D E-M10, to get some decent shots of him foraging. That little red cap on the very back of his head makes him such a jaunty fellow 🙂 (Or that is what I think.)
Camera as above. 75-300mm zoom. 600mm equivalent with 2x digital extender for 1200mm equivalent field of view. Shutter preferred. 1/800th @ ISO 500 @ f6.7. Processed in Snapseed on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014.
Pileated Woodpecker !
My colleague and friend, Rich, is learning to be a better digiscoper this week while we work the Space Coast Birding Festival. We went out to Merritt Island NWR yesterday while waiting for the exhibit hall to open and stopped, on a whim, at the Hammock trails. I didn’t have much hope of seeing many birds, but I wanted to get out of the car and walk. We did catch fleeting glimpses of a Pileated Woodpecker, always a treat as they tend to be shy birds. We have them in Maine, a few, but the only ones I have ever been able to photograph have been in Florida. After our encounter, I was telling Rich how difficult they are to photograph in general, and especially how hard to digiscope. “They just do not sit still long enough. You never get a good shot of them.”
Of course, about then we walked up to two other hikers who pointed out a Pileated working some dead trees about 100 feet back into the forest from the trail. They had been watching it long enough, so they passed it on to us. And of course, it made a liar out of me. It worked a small section of tree trunks for 20 minutes as we watched and photographed. Rich even got the scope on it and got some digiscoped shots. It was in fairly dense cover, so the shots are not great…but, hey, it is a Pileated Woodpecker!
These shots are with the Canon SX50HS, and as you can see, they preset a tricky auto focus problem, which the Canon handled very well. Processed in Snapseed on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014.
Which just goes to show you: never say never.
Red-heads have more fun…
We do not get Red-headed Woodpecker in Maine. Finding them actively foraging in a small park in Virginia when I visited on yesterday’s mid-winter day was a real treat. Such bright birds! I was doing a small, priavate, one-on-one photo workshop, based around the Canon SX50HS, and the camera certainly comes into its own in shots like this. Hand-held at 1200mm equivalent, the camera catches a very satisfying image of a relatively small bird at a good distance. I am not sure what kind of berries the Red-heads were collecting, but they were very busy birds.
Canon SX50HS. Program with -1/3rd EV exposure compensation and iContrast. ISO 500 @ 1/1000th @ f6.5. As above, 1200mm equivalent field of view. Processed in Snapseed on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014. Cropped slightly for scale and composition.
A Little Flicker Action: Magee Marsh
As much as Magee Marsh is about warblers, warblers, and more warblers…there are other birds along the boardwalk. The Woodcocks were a big hit this year, and there are always a few owls. For a day, a Common Nighthawk challenged the best eyes on the boardwalk, though for at least one day they had about 6 spotting scopes trained on it.
This Northern Flicker of the Yellow-shafted race was making its usual racket. It was easy to see…much harder to photograph…as it was very mobile and very agile. I never did catch the whole bird in the frame. 🙂 I like the “mid-call” pose here. It makes the bird look very alive.
Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and Auto Shadow Control. -1/3EV exposure compensation. 1800mm equivalent field of view. f6.5 @ 1/1000th @ ISO 800. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.
Downy vs. Hairy :)
The number of birds using our back deck thicket feeding station has increased dramatically over the past week. Both Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers are frequent visitors. When seen together, or in rapid sequence, at least here in New England, there is no mistaking one for the other. The size difference is dramatic. However, when seeing either without the other present or recently seen, it is always a bit tricky. Even the bill size “field mark” can be very hard to distinguish when only one bird is there to look at.
Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and Auto Shadow Control. 1200mm equivalent field of view. 1) f6.5 @ 1/640th @ ISO 800. Â 2) f6.5 @ 1/400th @ ISO 800. Processed in Lightroom for intlensity, clarity, and sharpness, with a bit extra because taken through glass.
Downy on Suet
We have both Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers in Southern Maine, and occasionally they will be in the yard at the same time. When they are I am always tempted to call the Downy, the Dainty Woodpecker. I am not sure if it is the smallest North American Woodpecker, but it must be close. And more than small…it is indeed dainty…compact and elegant in both appearance and habits. Great bird!
Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and Auto Shadow Fill. –1/3 EV exposure compensation. f6.5 @ 1/160th @ ISO 800. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.