When it comes to woodpeckers, I often hear them before I see them. Sometimes it is a gentle tapping sound, but at other times it sounds as loud as a jackhammer.
I spotted this little Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) on Wednesday morning at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. He was slowly making his way up the tree in a spiral pattern, stopping periodically to probe for insects. I tried to track him as he moved in and out of view and was happy to capture a few relatively unobstructed shots.
Normally, it is best to capture a subject when its eyes are looking more or less in your direction. I, however, are more attracted to the first photo below in which the little woodpecker is looking away and slightly up. Perhaps he had seen or heard something that caught his attention, but I like to think that he was taking a break in order to daydream. Perhaps he too was longing for Paris.
Woodpeckers are industrious by nature, though, so after his short pause, he was back to work, slamming his head against the unforgiving wood. It is what woodpeckers do—hopefully that does not sound like your job.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I love seeing these little guys. Great photos, Mike.
Very nice captures!
Thanks. These little guys are pretty common, but they are in constant motion, so it is tough to get clear shots of them. Plus, we are at a time of the year when there seem to be few birds and I feel like I have to work hard each time I spot one to take advantage of the limited number of opportunities.
Beautiful plumage!
Thanks, Chris. All of our woodpeckers have different patterns of black and white feathers and I love to look closely and spot the differences.
Nice Mike! They are fun to photograph! Usually they seem to be very active, so it is nice when you can get images of them.
Very nice captures, Mike! These little fellows are fun to watch as they go about their business, in fact I spent some time with one yesterday.
Re your reference to the woodpecker above.. you’re missing Paris Mike?
I am. My time in Paris had a kind of dream-like, idyllic quality to it, a kind of minimalist simplicity that I found very appealing. Perhaps it is the nature of many vacations, but I am having a little trouble re-adjusting to “normal” life, with its little stresses and greater demands for my attention.
These are great, Mike, and the commentary perfect (you are a word artist, too!). Still, I miss Paris.
I shot so much in Paris that I probably will do some more postings about the City of Light. Shortly after starting my blog a little over seven years ago, I found that I enjoyed expressing myself creatively in my words as much as in my photos. Sometimes I wonder if my photos are only an excuse to give me something to write about. 🙂
LOL
I felt the same way this summer while in Greece. Every day, I would send a group of friends about 6 images. I had a blast creating a theme and writing comments to go with the images. It was more fun than Facebook, because I was writing more content.