Male Pileated Woodpecker at Potential Nest Site.

[Daniel Cadieux]

I could hear a couple of Pileated Woodpeckers calling but for the life of me I just could not locate any of them! Until I realized, from some wood chips flying and falling, that one of them was inside a newly begun hole being excavated on the other side of a tree I was standing next to. Needless to say I backed up (although the WP seemed comfortable by my presence) and took a large detour to the other side for a better view...low and behold I had a great view with a nice vantage point and a nice "foresty" BG to boot. I got to witness both the male and the female take turns digging it out. Hoping this will be indeed a nest so I will be heading back periodically to check it out...crossing my fingers for success! If not, then this was a great sighting with good opportunities too:S3:

Canon 7D + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/320s., f/5.6, ISO 800, natural light, handheld, about 80% FF, some brighter highlights in the BG cloned in, the red crest toned down as it was way too red (added some cyan to it, and a bit overall desaturation). I also toned down the lower dark vertical line in the BG, also via low opacity clone tool.

[John Robinson]

That really shoots out the screen Daniel! Just my sort of back drop too. Excellent stuff. You are lucky having such a range of species over there.
Cheers
John

[Karl Egressy]

Great opportunity, nice image of the male, Daniel. I had similar experience a few years back but they moved on to an other location that I did not find.

[Binu John]

Stunning shot, Daniel! Your usual high standard! Love the exposure, details, background, HA! Excellent PP too!!

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the pose, IQ, details, BG and composition. I saw a Downy finishing a hole today and will have to go back with the camera. Excellent image Daniel and hope he sticks around for you.

[Miguel Palaviccini]

I bet that was a neat experience! Nothing to pick on here. The details in the blacks are great, the green background is killer against the brown/black/red in the foreground. Look forward to more (I have a feeling you may have snuck a portrait or two!)

[Geoffrey Montagu]

Brilliant capture, Daniel. Great details, and exceptionally nice BG. Agree the PP work is superb.






Geoffrey

[Troy Lim]

Very nice, hope you get more images of this guy...

[arash_hazeghi]

very cool Dan, you made the most out of this opportunity. handsome woodie!

[William Dickson]

Fantastic image Daniel, as John said, wished we had some birds like that over here in the UK :S3:

[Ian Wilson]

Great work - superb technically and I enjoy seeing a little of the environment.
Cheers, Ian

[christopher galeski]

very nice capture,the BG makes the bird pop,some nice detail in the bird,and the tree is magic.

[Joseph Przybyla]

A beauty Daniel...

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Dan, brilliant IQ in this, and in turn, you have nailed the overall exposure and sharpness. Comp works well, and we have a great view of the entrance to his new house. The distant BG makes the woody pop nicely.

[Bill Dix]

Such spectacular birds, and you caught this one beautifully. Love the pose, woodland bg. Exposure looks spot on, and he gave you a perfect head turn. Eager to see more of him.

[David Salem]

Got my first chance to see and photograph these awesome WPrs a few months ago in Florida. I cant believe how big they are. Nice work catching this guy and I like the pose with a perfect HA.
The techs look great and I rally like seeing the holes that he has excavated. Nice work Daniel.

[Joe Murphy]

Great find & a cracking shot, ticks all the boxes.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Wow Daniel, this is truly nice. In fact I can't recall any image from you with such ''forest'' BG! and trust me, it looks great! very beautiful WP, nice head turn and eye contact, I also hope you can get more from this handsome guy!

[Enrique Patino]

great image... best of luck!!