Newly-minted Acorn Woodpecker?

[Diane Miller]

This little guy has to be a juvie -- I've been watching and shooting them at our feeders and water (they LOVE the water) for several years and never saw one like this. The adults have a pink (sometimes almost colorless) iris and this one is blue-gray. The beak is lighter and the tip of the tail isn't ratty. Hope to get better pictures in the next few days. I've been ignoring the feeder to concentrate on the recently-discovered bluebirds, but they have now fledged and moved on.

Canon 5D3, 600 II, Wimberley head. ISO 800, f/13. 1/160 to allow flash, as the birds are in the shade early, when I like to shoot, but BG is in sunlight. Would like a lower ISO but I feel I need the DOF, and ambient light on the BG (distant trees) limits how low I can go with ISO. So flash is the main light here, for the birds. It I use it on-camera I get very flat light. This is 45 degrees off-axis, to my left (with a Better Beamer). I've tried all kinds of diffusers both for flash and sunlight. Have had decent results with very large overhead translucent panels for sun (when there is no wind), and a 2 ft x 3 ft softbox on a studio light head close to the bird, to soften shadows, but I'm just as pleased with the Speedlite and a Better Beamer. And diffusers give strange catchlights.

[John Robinson]

Good one Diane. I love woodies on small perches as opposed to tree trunks.Great BG too. Well done
JohnR

[Ron E Racine]

Very nice find and shot Diane. Great details, light and pose. Only one very small minor comment I find my eye following that branch of the frame for some reason. Probably just me.

Ron

[Diane Miller]

Not just you, Ron -- I did too and forgot to say, I went over it with a 30% clone brush to soften it, but it wasn't enough. I've tried to twist the perch -- it's an awkward one -- need to find some better ones. I think finding good perches is one of the more challenging technical aspects of all this.

[Binu John]

Great shot, Diane! Excellent use of flash! Looking forward to see more shots with the set-up perch!

[Frank Schauf]

Beautiful perch and nice composition.

[gail bisson]

A very nice image.
Bird IQ is great and you have a great head turn.
That branch is problematic and seeing as you have cloned it a bit why not get rid of it completely?!
Gail

[Diane Miller]

I could do that easily -- I though it might look awkward to have the bird apparently right on the end of the branch, but they do perch like that. As is, the hidden twist in it is also awkward and doesn't read well.

Opinions?