Pic of the Day

 

Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus:

Horse Cove; Gurley, Alabama

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/800 second @ f8

Pic of the Day

Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus:

Horsecove; Gurley, Alabama

     I had a good afternoon in the blind today, and finally got a male Red-bellied Woodpecker that I am happy with.  I also shot the female red-bellied, male and female downy, pine warbler, chickadee and white-breasted nuthatch.  As far as this image, I love the pose, as it show the bird's striped back and the red-tinged cheek feathers.  If you like this image, and others on the blog, please send a link to your friends.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/60 second @ f7.1, ISO 800, Natural Light

Pic of the Day

Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus (female);Horsecove; Gurley, Alabama

     I caught this guy in my backyard this afternoon.  I have been shooting the female for a couple of days and finally got the male this afternoon.  I'll post those images as soon as I get them processed.  I have also got shots of male and female Downy Woodpeckers as well.  More to follow!

Just a note:  Notice the red tinged feathers on the belly between the birds feet.  This where the Red-bellied Woodpecker gets its name.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4,  Exposure 1/80 sec. @ f7.1

Red-billed Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus; Horese Cove, Alabama

     While I was shooting Tufted Titmice last week I observed a Red-bellied Woodpecker fly from a sunflower seed feeder to a nearby snag.  The red-bellied was partially hidden behind foliage, but I could see that it was stashing seed in a crevice.  After the red-bellied made half-a-dozen trips to the snag I repositioned my camera to try for a shot.  After raising and lowering the camera, moving it left and right I finally found an opening that gave me an unobstructed view of the bird.  Like clock-work, the red-bellied flew in, deposited a seed and turned to strike this perfect, woodpecker pose.

Nikon D7100, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/160sec. @ f5.6, ISO 500