Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (male).

[Daniel Cadieux]

Finally got to get a good test-drive on the 7D I just got and I must say I like it! Last year I posted an image from the same tree (from my folks' cottage), but the sapsucker was in rough plumage then...this one is in much better shape:S3:. The tree is about to fall, you can see the angle of it in the image...the trunk is snapped right below the drill wells and is held up by another tree's branches. Time to take advantage of it before it's gone!! Hummingbirds were also using the drill wells and afforded nice opportunities too!

Taken from a 12 foot step ladder to get an eye-to-eye perspective, and the erect posture/raised crest is from the sapsucker reacting to the built-in flash popping up (my external flash's batteries were running to low to be useful).

Canon 7D + 100-400L @330mm, aperture priority, evaluative metering, 14/250s., f/6.3, ISO 800, -0.3 EC, -2.3 FEC, handheld, slight crop for comp, some bright highlights in the BG tamed via burn tool and clone tool.

[Randy Stout]

Daniel:

Congrats on the 7D! I know you will put it to good use.

Excellent pose, exposure, sharpness, head angle. Neat natural history component with the drill holes.

Soft BG, nice comp. My only wish would be for a bit more DOF to make all the holes sharp!

Cheers

Randy

[Doug Brown]

Great head turn, excellent sharpness, and a cool perch. Like the green BG too. I like Randy's suggestion about increasing DOF, but at least you got the entire bird sharp. Enjoy your new 7D!

[Gary Esman]

Congratulations on the 7D. :c3: Beautiful bird with a great head turn. Background looks great. Sounds like you earned your shot!

Gary.

[Troy Lim]

Love the composition and nice looking bird.

[Marina Scarr]

Congratulations on the new camera, Daniel!

I love the pose, colors, sharpness & BG. Agree with the others on the FG of the perch being a tad bit distracting but a good capture nonetheless. It is natural habitat, and I like it.

[Karl Egressy]

Great looking bird, excellent pose great head turn, Daniel. Nothing to be not to like.

[Jim Crosswell]

Excellent image Daniel! I like the pose, perch and BG. Congratulations on the new camera.

[Ofer Levy]

Excellent shot!!

[Stu Bowie]

Hey Dan, congrats on your new toy, and may it bring you endless winners. Excellent exposure and sharpness here, and I like the pose, HA, and comp.

[Jim Buescher]

Nice diagonal perch, the sap wells tie in with the birds unique behavior. Comp is good with the head on ROT point. Excellent sharpness and exposure. Are the YBSS's common in your area? (I've only seen a few here in Ohio) Yeah, I know that a 7D in your hands will produce more outstanding images like this one.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Thanks everyone!

Jim, the YBSS is common in my area, but this is a migrating species of woodpecker....we only see it (and hear!!) during the breeding season and summer months.

[Craig Brelsford]

Great work, Daniel! I don't think enough has been said about that perch. The drill holes are welcome, but the angle of the tree is what really stands out. Most unusual. You climbed a stepladder to get the shot; I salute you for that, because the stepladder not only shows dedication (How long were you up there? What did you do while you waited?) but also vision. You saw the possibilities, saw what had to be done, and you went and did it.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Thanks Craig! I glad you like it, and also thanks for recognizing the vision and effort:c3:

I was up there for about two hours as hummingbirds were also frequenting the drill holes and I wanted some of that action. I between bird visits I just waited and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the forest...I've got alot of patience when it comes to the waiting game:S3:

[Craig Brelsford]

Thanks Craig! I glad you like it, and also thanks for recognizing the vision and effort:c3:

I've got alot of patience when it comes to the waiting game:S3:

You scarcely needed to tell me you're a patient guy, Daniel. No one could get the images you get without patience.