Red Belly Woodpecker

[canonloader]

Well, it wasn't a total loss today. Nasty weather, but I got a few good ones.

http://www.freeassociationblog.com/forumings07/perchers/woody/rb3.jpg

http://www.freeassociationblog.com/forumings07/perchers/woody/rb4.jpg

http://www.freeassociationblog.com/forumings07/perchers/woody/rb5.jpg

[downywp]

Great shots, nice colors, I like pic#3 the best, you can even see his red belly!:) Sometimes I think a cloudy day can produce some very nice colors in birds, Very Nice!

[Permagrin]

Very nice Mitch :) (I haven't photographed this bird YET! But I love seeing shots of it!) WTG!

[guitarman3]

I'll say your day wasn't a loss! Very enjoyable series here Mitch. #3 is my fav due to the pose. Would love to get a red belly in my viewfinder someday!

[snowyowl13]

Beauties but no. 3 is best.

[calicokat]

Great shots, so colorful

[pttenn]

I wish whoever named the woodpeckers would have been more accurate. The head is red, NOT the belly....:}
Karen

[CyberDyneSystems]

I wish whoever named the woodpeckers would have been more accurate. The head is red, NOT the belly....:}
Karen

Isn't it strange... ?
But then, they almost all have red heads :)

Great pics!

[Reyno]

Great series of well captured images. You certainly made the most our of the condition, well done Mitch.


I wish whoever named the woodpeckers would have been more accurate. The head is red, NOT the belly....:}
Karen

I'm glad you mentioned about the name Karen as I too am wandering why. Maybe someone can give an answer why the name is such.

[cfcRebel]

Nice shots of the RBW, Mitch. I realize more beautiful birds come out during crappy days. At least in my area.:lol: When it's bright sunny day here, i get nothing but starlings.

[canonloader]

Thanks for your looks and comments everybody. I am always amazed how little weather affects birds while I on the other hand hate getting wet, I have to go to even greater lengths to keep the camera dry. But rain or shine, these guys have to eat and go about their business. And they do it all better than the post office, rain, snow, flood or drought, they are on time. :D

[Linuxboy00]

Looks like you and Mr. Bigma are having a good time, good weather or not!

[hTr]

Very nice set Mitch

I believe the color and detail are as good as I've seen and really show the bird as actual. That red is just about to burn out but didn't.

[canonloader]

Yup, we are. :)

I'm liking it.

Gary, that is about the only thing you can say for a rainy day. It does bring out the colors.

[Stephen Stephen]

Very nice Mitch.

Isn't it strange... ?
But then, they almost all have red heads :)

Great pics!

I agree CDS but the Red Headed woodpecker has a very scarlet or fire engine head colouring. Perhaps this species should have been called the Orange/Red Hheaded Woodpecker! ;)

[canonloader]

Thanks Stephen. And this is just the male. The females red doesn't extend all the way to the head, she's could be called a Red Neck Woodpecker. :)

[iterrier]

Nice shots Mitch. I'm getting very envious of your Bigma. I'm planning a trip to B&H in a few weeks, and I think I'm going to ask to hold it to see if I can manage it.

[canonloader]

Thanks Joan. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a decent camera shop near me, where I could try before I buy. I was so worried I'd get a soft copy, but I got lucky I guess. Although, there seems to be no soft copies of this lens, like there is with the 100-400L. :)

It weights 4.1 pounds though, so it is heavy, and I don't even try to free hand-hold it. I rest it on my truck window beanbag or use the tripod.

[iterrier]

Thanks Joan. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a decent camera shop near me, where I could try before I buy. I was so worried I'd get a soft copy, but I got lucky I guess. Although, there seems to be no soft copies of this lens, like there is with the 100-400L. :)

It weights 4.1 pounds though, so it is heavy, and I don't even try to free hand-hold it. I rest it on my truck window beanbag or use the tripod.

Well then I should look into trucks as well. It probably is too heavy for me since I am very resistant to using a tripod.

[canonloader]

So was I, but I started using it when I had the 400 Prime, shooting eagles in flight. Now I love it. I even look for opportunities to use it. Cause when I do, I have twice or three times as many keepers as with hand held. ;)

[pknight]

An answer to the Red-bellied name. In fact, there is a red cast to the belly of these birds, altough it is not very bright, and you typically cannot see it, since their bellies are usually against the tree they are pecking on. Below is a link to some very noisy images I posted last year, but the third one is a Red-bellied woodpecker at a feeder, and you can see the faint red tinge to the feathers of the lower belly. I guess it qualifies for this name because no other woodpecker has ANY red on its belly.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=205316

[Benandbobbi]

Great pics Canonloader

[canonloader]

Thanks guys. Here's another shot of the same bird. It shows some of the red belly.

http://www.freeassociationblog.com/forumings07/perchers/woody/rb7.jpg

[Birdmanc]

They are all wonderful shots Mitch! I have yet to see any around me Yet. Great Job.

[canonloader]

Well, they are hard to see unless they come to a feeder. Which they do here. I have had them come to my yard feeders for suet, but these were taken in a NWR Park near here where someone set up a bird feeder years ago. Enough people go by there winter and summer to feed the birds that it's got a regular supply of all kinds of seed eating birds all the time. But you should hear them before you see them. They have a loud call, similar to one of the Blue Jay squawks, and you can hear it from a block away. :)

Oh, they love peanuts. ;)

[pknight]

It helps to have some woods that are never cleared out, so there are lots of dead trees for the insects to get into, and for these birds to get them out of. I have never seen these in town, but can usually count on seeing them along the river bank, where there is deadwood.

[MDoc]

Mitch those shots are teriffc lots of clarity in the details. Well done!

[canonloader]

Thanks Doc. I'm really loving this Bigma. It's everything and more than I'd hoped for. Which, after selling my 400 Prime is a huge relief. :mrgreen:

[Sindri Skulason]

Great shots. The third is my favorite. :-)

[Gary Fairhead]

Very nice and count me in the " the third is my favourite" group. These guys are slowly making their way north....maybe in 10 years ...or less would be nice

[canonloader]

Thanks guys. The way the weather is going, they might be there already. :)

They stayed around here all winter.

[jpalmer]

yes mitch you've mastered the bigma well with these very nice shots of a
redbelyheadspottedwoodpecker?
many thanks

[canonloader]

Thanks J. I am actually very pleasantly surprised and relieved that the Bigma is so sharp. I think I do get a few more throw away shots with it over the 400L, but just a few and less every time I shoot, and it's probably my fault. But all in all, I think it is a very sharp, very well made lens.