Redheaded Woodpecker

Here are a few photos taken last weekend in North Cape May NJ of two redheaded woodpeckers at the Villas. A rare bird in Southern NJ but they have been resident at the Villas all winter.

I'm just getting started in photography, an off-shoot of my birding hobby. Please feel free to comment on these photos to help me improve. Thanks!

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he's been working hard... i've got a couple that come to my feeder.. i don't know where they are building a nest.. there's non any dead trees right around my house... but i keep them fed...

This was the first time I've seen a redheaded woodpecker so it was a thrill for me to see them and then get such good shots of them. The focus could be better, especially on the second shot. Still learning.

I use to see these all over as a kid, then they declined. I just heard of where there is one and might go see if I can find it tomorrow.

Your light is pretty harsh in these and your side on to it. There really isn't much you can do other than to use fill flash. It would help lighten the shaded side of the bird and not blow out the already lit side. And shoot in RAw, then rely on software to fix it up.

I am curious though, how you got f/5.6 at 500mm out of the Bigma.