Most of the time when I see (or hear) a woodpecker hammering away at a tree, I can’t actually see the results of its work. Yesterday, however, I managed to capture this shot of a male Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge that shows the hole being probed by the little woodpecker. There is a bit of wood in the woodpecker’s beak, but as far as I could tell, he was not successful in locating any tasty insects.
How do I know that his woodpecker is a male? Only male Downy Woodpeckers have the small red patch on the back of their heads that you can see in this photo.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I love these darlings… they come to my feeders in the woodlands… after eating (seeds and butters*) they will fly up and find a tree to clean their beaks… before come back for second and third helpings. *suets
Lovely capture of the fluffy texture of the feathers. These chaps visit my feeders daily and I think they are delightful.
Great shot! Great details in both the bird and it’s surroundings. These little guys are really hard to spot, let alone photograph.
Fabulous capture of this cutie, Mike!