Downy in the neighborhood

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Downy in the neighborhood

January 29, 2014 by Mike Powell

I love to watch energetic little Downy Woodpeckers (Picoides pubescens) at work, like this one that I observed last week in my own neighborhood.

Most of the time these little powerhouses are in constant motion or are obscured by branches, so it’s difficult to get a clear shot of them. This one, however, was in a location where I could get an unobstructed photograph and the woodpecker even cooperated by lifting its head for a moment (though it did appear to be a little irritated at the interruption).

As soon as I was done with the brief photo shoot, the woodpecker went back to work, pounding away at the wood in search of some tasty morsels of food.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens, Runnymeade, woodpecker | 19 Comments

19 Responses

on January 29, 2014 at 7:41 am | Reply judysbirds

Very nice shot. All the woodpeckers are fun to photograph and to watch. They are so determined in their endeavors.
- on January 30, 2014 at 5:17 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Judy. The determination of woodpeckers is amazing (as is their ability to withstand repeated blows to the head). Ouch!
on January 29, 2014 at 8:11 am | Reply Victor Rakmil

Marvellous shot! Great detail!
- on January 30, 2014 at 5:16 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Victor. One of the problems that I often have in the winter is the lack of natural light, but the day that I took this shot, there was lots of sunshine, which made it easier to capture details.
  - on January 30, 2014 at 8:00 am Victor Rakmil
    
    I am finding it impossible to get out this winter. But I know what you mean.
on January 29, 2014 at 8:15 am | Reply nliakosNina Liakos

You can almost sense this little bird’s personality from the photo!
- on January 30, 2014 at 5:14 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I can definitely agree with your on the woodpecker’s personality–it’s one of the reason why I enjoy getting close-up shots.
on January 29, 2014 at 12:39 pm | Reply Lyle Krahn

That’s a great capture. It makes you wonder what it’s looking at.
- on January 30, 2014 at 5:11 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Lyle. I’d like to say that he was looking at me, but suspect that something else caught his attention.
on January 29, 2014 at 2:08 pm | Reply caleephotography

That’s a gorgeous shot, Mike! Beautiful bird. 🙂
- on January 30, 2014 at 5:11 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. The colors of this little bird are simple and elegant. Who needs flamboyant plumage?
on January 29, 2014 at 4:44 pm | Reply Muddepaws

Fabulous photograph!
- on January 30, 2014 at 5:10 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. As I mentioned in the posting, downy woodpeckers are among my favorite birds.
on January 29, 2014 at 8:08 pm | Reply naturesnippets

Looks worried if it has its best side towards you.
- on January 30, 2014 at 5:08 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Most definitely. I couldn’t have posed it better if I had been giving instructions.
on January 29, 2014 at 10:21 pm | Reply bayphotosbydonna

Lovely! I think he said, give Mike the shot, and smiled for you! 🙂
on January 30, 2014 at 6:15 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

That’s an excellent shot! (And not an easy one to get).
It has been so cold here that you can hear the trees snapping and cracking from freezing and thawing. I’m not sure how the woodpeckers are dealing with frozen wood but they are You can hear them too.
on January 31, 2014 at 7:43 am | Reply iseebeautyallaroundbyrobpaine

nice photo mike, I particularly like the detail and the fact that the depth of field is so shallow the trees in the background are blurred out. I find one of the most challenging things (especially during the winters when there are no leaves) is getting clear bird shots that are not full of distracting in focus tree branches.
- on January 31, 2014 at 7:57 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. Branches seem to be everywhere and they seem to pop out of nowhere on my computer screen when I look at images that I thought had an unobstructed view of the bird. It’s one of the “joys” of wildlife photography in general and especially bird photography. When I started to get serious about my photography, I worked a lot with my mentor, who likes to do a lot of macro photography of flowers and plants. With the camera fixed to the tripod, I could carefully choose the angle and perspective (and even remove some distracting elements, if necessary). As you are well aware, with bird shots, you often have to take what you can get and sometimes things work out.