Pic of the Day

Northen Cardinal, Cardnalis cardinalis: Horsecove; Gurley, Alabama

     Snow in North Alabama!  I awoke this morning to a snow covered landscape.  Overnight 2 ½ inches of snow fell and this morning our little world was shut down.  I enjoyed the morning photographing a few birds and watching all the activity at the bird feeders.  It will most likely be years before we get this much snow again, and that is all right with me!

Both Images:  Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/500 sec. @ f5.6

Pic of the Day

Pileated Woodpecker: Horse Cove; Gurley, Alabama – One day in March I was driving-up my driveway and notice a hole in a dead loblolly pine that I had never seen before. My first thought, ”a freshly dug pileated woodpecker nest”! As soon as I got in the house I grabbed a video camera and headed for the possible nest. I attached the camera to a nearby tree and pointed it toward the hole and turned the camera on. I left the video running until after sundown, about an hour and half, and then retrieved the camera and tape.
As I reviewed the tape I was hoping to see a pileated woodpecker fly into, or leave the opening. As the tape played, what I hoped I would see, occurred. Just as the sunset, a Pileated Woodpecker flew to the cavity, perched at the opening for less than a minute and went into the cavity.
I could not have been more fortunate! The nest tree grew out of a creek bed at the bottom of a steep slop, allowing me to put a blind close to the nest at almost eye level. Both adults incubated eggs for the first 3 weeks in April. After the eggs hatched a flurry of active began at the nest. I spent many hot, miserable days in a blind from the end of April through May having an incredibly wonderful time photographing these birds.
Nikon D200, Nikkor 500mm f/4 with 1.4 teleconverter