This acrobatic Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) was twisting and contorting its body as it foraged last week in the trees at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge when I spotted it. In the first photo I managed to get a look at the bird’s red belly, a feature that is often hidden from view. The woodpecker seemed to be enjoying some success, though not surprisingly the pickings were fairly meager at this time of the year.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Love it! What fun photos!
Thanks. I was thrilled with the photos that I somehow managed to capture. The woodpecker was in constant motion and was in the shade, so I was not sure if I would be able to come away with decent shots. 🙂
😊
I’ll never understand why the red-bellied woodpecker got its name. The red on its head is bold and impossible to miss, but the red on its belly? Blink and you’ll miss it. I’ve got one visiting the bird feeder daily—maybe I should ask it directly!
In the past I used to occasionally see the actual Red-headed Woodpeckers at one of my local nature refuges. Unlike the male Red-bellied Woodpeckers, the Red-headed Woodpeckers have heads that are completely red. Here’s a link to one of my older posts that shows the red heads of some Red-headed Woodpeckers. https://michaelqpowell.com/2016/11/22/redhead-in-autumn/
Great capture Mike..love the drama of the upside down routine of the woodpecker. Thanks for the smiles. Have a good one!
Nifty sighting! Such a nice treat.
Fun captures, Mike!
Thanks, Ellen. Pickings are a bit slim during the winter, so the birds often have to work harder to find food.
That looks quite a mission.. eye-catching photos!
Thanks, Liz. The woodpecker was bouncing all around in the tree, so I was really happy when I managed to capture a few shots of it in action. 🙂