I think the blind hog found an acorn

Dear Board,

I have been trying all Spring to get a decent shot of this guy. I know this isn't perfect by any stretch but it's light years better than all my previous efforts.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/nEK1​ZX

Looks like you had poor light to work with, with a good bit of NR but the eye looks nice. We are supposed to. Have a nice sunshine weekend, good luck to you and keep your ISO as low as you can. Just finding one of these guys is an accomplishment itself! If you can use a pod of some sort that is a big help.
Looking forward to more, practice, practice then practice some more.

No such thing as a bad image of a Pileated Woodpecker Tim; some are just better than others And these birds are worth the chase.
Congrats on nailing this one even at ISO1600. There's a bit of noise in the darker areas of the background, but it's not overwhelming. Good job on that and keep up the chase. I know you mean no disrespect, but "this guy" is a girl

Dear CamFan and oldjack,

Thanks for the compliments and the encouragement. I mostly definitely will keep after these birds in search of a better image.

I'm lucky enough to live in a pine forest so there are plenty of them around but this was the first time one stood still long enough in a pleasing pose to allow me to produce a decent shot. We had a bad Winter this year and they were late to come around, usually by mid to late March I see them daily in the backyard, this year it took until mid to late April and then the bear ate all my feeders and suet cages so it was back to square one.

And CamFan don't worry about correcting me because I didn't know the sex of the bird. I'm a neophyte when it comes to birding so any tips on how to tell them apart would be welcomed.

With a little luck something interesting will appear in the yard tomorrow under more favorable conditions, maybe it'll even be another Pileated?

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Oh my!!! Sweet shot, Tim. As Steve and Bret have attested, finding one of these beauties in your viewfinder is no small accomplishment. Well done and keep it up! I look forward to seeing more.

These birds are not the easiest to find and usually are not found in the best light. If only we could tell them to just pose for us in a spot with better light. LOL The next best thing would be a flash with a better beamer to help lift the shadows.

Thanks guys and thanks butterfly for the better beamer idea. I've got a flash or two, maybe I ought to spend the $ 35.00 on the better beamer.

Honestly, if many of you guys had my backyard I bet you could get a picture in National Geographic. I never fail to see several pileated woodpeckers daily, they are nearly as common as sparrows around here.

Regards,

Tim Murphy