Facebook reminded me earlier today that exactly two years ago I posted a photo of a Red-headed Woodpecker and as soon as I saw it, I realized that it is an almost perfect companion to the photo that I posted yesterday. Yesterday’s image showed the flight feathers of a Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) from underneath and the earlier image shows them from above.
Here is the posting in its entirety from December 1, 2013:
I suspect that I may qualify as a stalker, because I spent over thirty minutes on Friday sitting on a fallen tree, observing every movement of a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) high in the oak trees.
The small branches and the shadows made it almost impossible to get a clear shot of the little bird, but they did not keep me from trying. I was really fortunate to get this shot of the woodpecker as it took off from one of its perches with an acorn in its mouth and gave me a glimpse of its beautifully-patterned wings. As I understand it, when the Red-Headed Woodpecker becomes an adult, its wings will be pure black and white, so I am glad that I was able to get the shot of the black dots.
After I posted this photo, I noticed that there is a least one acorn jammed into a crack in the bark just above the top edge of the bird’s tail, mostly likely a snack that it has cached for future consumption.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
That is an amazing shot. Who knew the woodpecker had such a beautiful pattern at the edge of his feathers.
Thanks, Sally. Woodpeckers (and other birds) move so quickly that it’s really tough to get shots with their wings extended. Both of the times that I have done it, I was shooting in burst mode and the bird happened to take off.
Love the action shot, I always find woodpeckers to be so interesting and engaging. I get them in the garden every now and then.
I too am fascinated by woodpeckers, Charlie. They seem so industrious and persistent as they peck away.
That explains the translucent appearance of the wing feathers in you photo from a couple of posts ago. They nearly matched the color of the sky that day.