Woodpeckers, anyone?

[robertwgross]

I had heard that Nuttall's woodpeckers were nesting in a park near my home, so I started making trips over there to check out the place. The cavity nest was up in a dead tree, and it was a long shot. It was on the shady side of the dead tree, so it was a dark shot. The male and female woodpeckers took turns delivering insects to their brood, but I could never see the baby birds. At first, the parents went inside the cavity to feed them. Then, after a couple of days, the parent bird would just hang on the outside of the cavity and poke the bugs inside. Today, I got lucky. The alpha male chick poked out to grab up his beakful of tasty ants from the father bird, and the little one had a red crown just like his dad!

20D, 1/100th, f/8, ISO 200, 100-400mm + 1.4TC, 550EX flash +2.

---Bob Gross---

[Maz]

That is a real nice photo Bob. Great capture and very professional. Thank you for showing it.

Maz
http://www.homesteadsforsale.com

[mrclark321]

Great capture Bob.

Dan

[Meerkat17]

Nice image and nice composition
Cheers
David

[nitsch]

Great shot Bob! Lovely birds. Did you use a tripod or did the IS on your 100-400 allow you to handhold at this shutterspeed?

[PacAce]

Very nicely done, Bob! :)

[tupe]

Great shot, Bob! What size are the adults, compared to other woodpeckers?

[cfcRebel]

That's a beautiful family shot of the woodpeckers Bob! Post more.
Thanks for sharing.

[robertwgross]

Did you use a tripod or did the IS on your 100-400 allow you to handhold at this shutterspeed?

I only shoot the 100-400 lens handheld in an emergency. So, with that lens, plus a 1.4TC, making it a focal length of 560mm, a tripod was necessary.

---Bob Gross---

[robertwgross]

What size are the adults, compared to other woodpeckers?

According to the Sibley book, the adult Nuttall's woodpecker is 7.5 inches long, with a wingspan of 13 inches. Weight 1.3 ounces.

I was amazed at how fast the little ones grow.

I'm not sure how fast I would grow if I were on a steady diet of ants.

---Bob Gross---

[robertwgross]

That's a beautiful family shot of the woodpeckers Bob!

Well, it is impossible to get the whole family to pose together.

The female bird is exactly like the male, except that she has no red crown. The male and female adult birds each bring insects to the babies, but they alternate trips. So, there is only one adult hanging there on the tree at any given time. What seemed interesting to me was that the male makes three or four times as many insect deliveries as the female. So, she must be hunting at the wrong trees or something.

---Bob Gross---

[cfcRebel]

What seemed interesting to me was that the male makes three or four times as many insect deliveries as the female. So, she must be hunting at the wrong trees or something.


Maybe young husband old wife? :lol: Just j/k.

[fortinaa]

Great patience paid off for that shot! It's a keeper for sure.

[MarkoPolo]

Really special. Thanks for sharing.

[PhotosGuy]

Excellent shot!

[robertwgross]

Great patience paid off for that shot!

Now I'm worried about the family.

I was back there today, all set up and shooting. The male bird made seven insect delivery flights and the female made zero. The female came near and perched on a nearby tree. The male made another delivery and then went to perch on the same branch with her. He danced a little up and down the branch, and then she flew off. I don't know whether she is going to abandon the first brood for the dad to feed while she lays another clutch, or what. I would think that they would re-use the first cavity nest, but it is currently full of little ones that have not fledged yet.

---Bob Gross---