Woodpecker

[joel quenneville]

I took this image towards the end of the afternoon from a blind in my backyard. This wood pecker was on a nearby dead tree. Unfortunately, he generally kept to the shady side of the tree. I would have preferred a lighter background but it is OK as is.

1/400s
f/8
ISO 400
+1/3 EV compensation
Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 with 2x converter @ 600mm
Nikon D70s

[Fabs Forns]

Hi Joel,

I don't mind the dark background at all since it makes the Woodie stand out. What I would have liked is more room all around, easy to do since you had a zoom lens.

As El Maestro always says, when you use a zoom, go wider :)

[Judd Patterson]

I also like the dark background for its ability to really highlight the woodpecker. Wider would have been nice and would have probably added in a little more of the lovely shelf fungus around her feet. She looks like she's hollowing out a potential nest hole here. Was the male helping?

[joel quenneville]

Here is a wider vesion. Should I add the room behind the woodpecker instead of adding it to the tree?