Do your find yourself shooting the same subjects over and over, hoping that you will find the perfect combination of lighting, pose, and background? That is certainly the case for me when it comes to photographing birds. It is both frustrating and challenging to realize that the only variables over which I have any control are me and my trusty camera. I can try to creep closer to birds or adjust the exposure and composition, but luck and perseverance are the overwhelmingly dominant factors in achieving success, however you choose to definite it.
Walking along a path at my local marshland park this past Friday, I heard the now-familiar tap-tap of a woodpecker. I looked up and saw a male Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) at work in the upper branches of a tree. Instantly I knew I had a chance for a pretty good shot, because the lighting was good, the view was uncluttered, and the sky was blue in the background. The woodpecker was persistent as he moved along the branch and so was I, snapping away with my head bent back at an uncomfortable angle.
Downy Woodpecker portrait
How did I do? Well, you can judge for yourself, but I think that this is about as close to perfection as I can achieve with my current skills and equipment. The elements fell into place and I managed to take an image with which I am pretty happy, a nice portrait of a Downy Woodpecker.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
I’d be very happy with that shot. Nature makes us work for them!
Thanks. It’s definitely not a controlled environment. That’s what makes it exciting to get a good shot (and difficult to replicate).
They’re probably getting used to you and want to be sure they’re included in your picture files.
I think I like that idea==Mike and his feathered friends.
sounds good
Nice picture. I always try to get that glint in the eye that just makes the picture come alive.
Thanks, Joe. I know that some of the serious bird photographers that I see use a Fresnel lens accessory for their flash to try to put more light on their birds. My equipment is much more modest.