Wednesday, March 25, 2009


Red-headed Woodpecker (March 2005)

Another use for dead trees. There were several pairs of red-headed woodpeckers nesting in the Batsto Village area of the Wharton State Forest. This one was flying about the picnic area and I followed it back to its nest tree. I wasn't really this close; this is a crop of an image made using a 100 - 400 mm zoom lens at 400 with a 1.4x teleconverter. 

I mentioned the access restrictions placed on the great horned owl nest in my March 22nd Sunday Six set. Nesting birds can be very sensitive to activity around them and humans are rather large animals. To much activity too close and the bird may abandon the nest site.  Clearly some birds are more tolerant than others. The great horned owl that nested in the parking lot at the Everglades visitor center, shown in the Sparkle theme shot for the 366 Project, didn't mind the commotion below. But is prudent to err on the side of caution and leave nesting birds in peace. And keep saving for the 600 mm f/2. 

6 comments:

Chesney said...

Wow that guy just jumps out at you - great find and picture perfect!

Ron a.k.a. Danudin said...

What a Great shot a what a splash of colour terrific, I love it.

jo said...

You are very observant and catch great pictures of the birds! This bright red bird in a drab tree with a bright blue sky is truly special.

mljrbg said...

Unbelievable shot!! Everything is gorgeous about it. The colors are fablous with a redhead right in the middle!!

Anonymous said...

Hey Steve..I remember these guys. There was a small flock of four or five woodpeckers wintering over at Batsto that year. Great photo!

Anonymous said...

Great shot, the spot of colour from the little bird is just perfect.