Sunday, October 3, 2010

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

I apologize for the fuzzy photo of this Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) but promise a better one some day. I am posting this one because after a year or so of intermittently chasing this small local woodpecker this is the best of several hundred photos I've attempted of the jittery little guy. He moves quickly and jerkily, mostly on the underside or backside of branches and seems quite shy. He's one of two kinds of woodpeckers I have seen locally. The other is quite large and equally difficult to photograph. Flickers are another relative that I am working on....
at

9 comments:

  1. Mike LaplanteOctober 3, 2010 at 9:34 AM

    Sometimes it helps to set your camera on continuous shoot, then pick the best of the bunch. That's the beauty of digital...

    Mine fires about 5 fps as long as I hold the shutter down. That's usually good for a least one good shot.

    Maybe you do this already....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dean LewisOctober 3, 2010 at 9:41 AM

    It is the great variety that makes birds so fascinating.
    The larger Piliated Woodpecker is really impressive. I've only seen two. The great thing about them is that they are audibly announcing where they are while hammering away.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Benjamin MadisonOctober 3, 2010 at 9:47 AM

    Yeah, that's my strategy lately too - today's blur is the best of 173 shots. I should have opened up more and shot at a faster shutter speed - it was a gray day. Oh well, I'll get him sooner or later. There's a couple of nice Belted Kingfishers that hang out in the same area that I'm stalking as well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Benjamin MadisonOctober 3, 2010 at 9:51 AM

    Hi Dean - yes the pileated wp is pretty striking - it's so big - I've only seen a couple also - two together in Mt. Douglas park. These little downy wp seem to be more common - I've seen them in a couple of places around town.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dean LewisOctober 3, 2010 at 10:13 AM

    The Piliateds I saw were on the north side of Mt. Findlayson, and at Horth Hill park by Sidney, where I also have seen a Barred Owl, quietly looking down on me as I walked under him.
    Half the fun is the tracking skills and techniques it takes to sneek up on these critters. They are there, and often we will pass by without knowing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. JoJoOctober 3, 2010 at 10:30 AM

    What a pretty bird! I wonder if we have them in Washington. His markings are gorgeous! It's a great pic, Ben! Sounds like he was hard to get!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Benjamin MadisonOctober 3, 2010 at 10:55 AM

    Hi JoJo - yes you should have them in Washington since their range is from Alaska right down to the Texas Panhandle but, like Dean says, you have to be looking for them since they are quite elusive and shy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. JackOctober 3, 2010 at 12:49 PM

    It is a good enough photo for me, given the difficulty of capturing the little guy's image.

    ReplyDelete
  9. winnerOctober 5, 2010 at 4:44 AM

    Like your blog'S style!! Please keep on working hard. ^^

    ReplyDelete

Greetings!
I hope you will leave a comment and visit these pages again. Should you wish to contact me directly you can use the email address in the rightmost column of each blog page.Due to increasing amounts of spam comments (it's up to about 200 per day now) I have decided to limit comments from anonymous visitors.