Red Bellied Woodpecker

First, let me set the stage. I was on the north side of White Rock Lake in Dallas with my Siggy 500, a TC and my tripod. I was there to find some perched birds to shoot. That area has been good to me before. Sure enough there were tons of birds but all were busy moving around, butter butts, waxwings, red winged blackbirds, etc... With the set-up I had, the TC removes autofocus so I have to manually focus while tracking with the lens. It's pretty much near impossible for me. I really needed my 100-400 IS lens, but, oh well. Anyhow, I spotted this red bellied woodpecker setting up its new digs. It was moving all around the tree and hammering all the time. But I did not want to risk losing it by removing the TC and then reattaching everything so this is what I got. They could be sharper and the light was very harsh. It was about 4:30 in the afternoon. I also had to contend with some branches in the way that I manually blurred out of focus. Oh and I swear I did not try to oversaturate the colors like this. This is how the colors basically were in the RAW image. I added just a tad of selective color and used the shadows and highlights function to help with the harsh light, but I have no idea why the colors are so vivid, almost too vivid. Anyhow, here it is in its 700mm glory. I compared these to some other shots of red belled woodpeckers on the Net and except for those professional photogs. I suppose these aren't that bad given the conditions.

I liked that one too because I have seen other photographs of different woodpeckers sticking their heads out of hollows in trees and I always wished I could get an image of it. I finally did. I must have watched this one for close to thirty minutes off and on.

These are the BEST I have ever seen of this bird, Maestro. They are so elusive and quick to scream & scold and show you anything but their red bellies...NICE- very very NICE work.
The colors are extrordinary.

I really do appreciate the comments and I hope to get some even better at some point in the future. :)

I love the one of him peeking out of the hole.

Other photographs had achieved similar shots so I was wondering when my day would come. And it did! :woohoo: :)

These are beautiful.

I don't know why I like woodpeckers so much. I need to get more photos of different species, but I need to travel a bit here in the state to get more. I basically only have three in my area, the Red Bellied, the Downy, and the Ladderback.

Wow, I love them all, but the one where he is sticking his head out of the whole made me think of Dick Cheney. :rofl: Hidey Hole?

I will have to try to go out with my tripod again to the place where the white-backed woodpeckers hang. They are so shy and elusive, I could wait all day to get a glimpse of them, but of course they love to dive bomb my car when I am on my way home from school in the afternoons. Just like a tease "we are still here and you missed us today!!"

I hear them laughing. :P

Crashcart Sureshot, he'd take offense. :rofl: I'd like to see your white-backed woodpeckers if you ever get a chance. Oh and don't feel bad about the dive bombing birds. I have several species that do that for me or some will give me the absolutely perfectly clear, perching shots, but the milisecond I open my car door, they are gone! That just taunt me I tell you!