Pileated Woodpecker in Flight

[Jim Neiger]

I made this image a couple of weeks ago.

Central Florida - 1D3, 500mm+2xTC, hand held, 1/1600, F8, ISO 800, manual exposure, Metered on green vegetation -1/3.

[Gyorgy Szimuly]

Wow, such a cool flight shot of a large woodpecker.
I like it. Perfect compo.

Szimi

[Fabs Forns]

Very nice wing position and great light on the face.
I see some chromatic aberration around the tail and wings.

I love Pileated Woodpeckers and don't have one yet:(

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the pose a lot and don't see CA.

[Judd Patterson]

A special image Jim! It sure isn't easy to get a clear chance at these awesome woodpeckers. Hope to have my own opportunity someday.

[Maxis Gamez]

Excellent capture Jim.

[Arthur Morris]

Pretty damned good with a camera that supposedly does not focus...

later and love, artie

[Alfred Forns]

I want one !!!!! Excellent capture Jim !!!!

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Outstanding image of this awesome bird. They are like bullets in flight and you did an excellent job capturing this one wih wonderful eye contact too. Amazing Jim !! Sure wish it were mine.

[Sid Garige]

Excellent shot Jim.

[D. Robert Franz]

Another beauty of a species I don't see flight images of often. Well done Jim...

[Jody Melanson]

This rocks Jim!

I was out with David Hemmings last year and we were trying to lure some Bobolinks over. I catch something in the corner of my eye moving towards us in the perfect light. I swing my rig towards it, focus and see it is a Pileated. Sweet! I squeeze the trigger on my bushhawk and nothing. I repeatedly squeeze again and again, nothing. DANG! I missed my window of opportunity as he flies between us at eye level and I point my rig at the ground cursing, squeeze the trigger in frustration and it fires. It still gets to me from time to time. :D

[Mike McCarthy]

Sweet flight shot Jim. Like the pose and angle of view on this one. Details of feathers and catch light in eye are nice. Well done. I want one of these. :-)

[Jim Caldwell]

Hi Jim,
Although the image is an amazing capture, I think it is even more amazing that you did it with a 500mm with a 2x extender - handheld! I would love more details about your capture and workflow on this image - really well done!

[Dave Shaw]

Great flight shot of this species, i love the gleam in the eye, but there does seem to be something a touch unnatural about the head. Like the colors, sharpness or contrast does not match the rest of the image. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but one way or another this is an impressive image. And I agree with another comment that I'd love to know some of the details, was this just a lucky shot? Or do you have a strategy?

Best,
Dave Shaw
Wild Imagination Photography and Tours
www.wildimagephoto.com

[Ian McHenry]

Nicely timed wings up capture Jim with a nice clean head shot.

[Kenn Christensen]

wow.. Jim.. Ive been dreaming of this shot... I see these guys in flight everyday... they will show up flying over vast open areas.. but not close at all... and they have a slightly wavering flight thats tricky to stay on.... (though nothing like swallows!)... Im going to have to figure out just HOW to get a shot like this.. I wonder if they use consistant flyways? there are quite a few of them around here... and I see them where ever I go.. I think there are more of them then there are eagles around here!.... but the eagles are quite a bit more visible.. so I see more of them.... both fly over my house several times a day....
anyway... fantastic work...