RBWP

[Troy Lim]

I have several natural man-made nests in my yard. This pair of woodpeckers have been around one of the nests all spring. When I got back from my recent trip to Malaysia, they had moved into the nest and had 3 eggs. I have been spending time watching and monitoring them for weeks.
2/3 hatched a few weeks ago and only 1 survived about 1.5 week later. The pair was still feeding and rotating staying with the remaining chick everyday.
It was usually quiet that evening, there was no begging sound coming from the nest. After waiting for some time, I decided to investigate. The baby was partially covered by wood dust and it was not moving. It was dead.
I waited again for the parents but they never showed up. I decided to take the nest down. The baby was missing its upper beak. It could have been attacked and chewed up by predators in the neighborhood. After taken a few pics with my iPhone, I gave the baby a proper burial. RIP.
It was a very sad day....

They were very good parents. No matter how hard they tried, they could not protect the babies from the predators.
I hope they will be around and give it another try.
1Dx, 600mm IS II, 1/3200, f/7.1, ISO6400

[Troy Lim]

This is just to help illustrates what I experienced with this family of RBWP:

[Ilija Dukovski]

Too bad for the chick. I like the wing spread. I wish the bird's head was turned toward the camera.

Cheers,
Ilija

[Troy Lim]

Too bad for the chick. I like the wing spread. I wish the bird's head was turned toward the camera.

Cheers,
Ilija

Ilija, when the bird flying to feed, they don't do the head turn. :) Perhaps you meant to say get a better HA, in which I would never have gotten the back view.

[Ilija Dukovski]

Ilija, when the bird flying to feed, they don't do the head turn. :) Perhaps you meant to say get a better HA, in which I would never have gotten the back view.

Sure, I just meant that the image would've been more effective if we could see more of the face.
I understand it is next to impossible in this situation.

Cheers,
Ilija

[Randy Stout]

Troy:
Sad story indeed.

Like the dorsal display, angle in frame,slight angle of the tree.

Would consider toning down the highlights in bg.

Good luck for next year with them. I assume it is too late to try again?

Cheers

Randy

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Troy, a sad story indeed. Great wingspread captured, sharp, and I like detail and colours. I agree with Randy to tone down the brighter areas of the BG.

[Jeannean Ryman]

Awww, I'm sad too. I've been watching a Lesser Nighthawk and her chicks for the past month. They're nesting in rocks on a canal bank near my house. I go out every day, at least twice a day, to check on them (there's a lot of traffic from people walking their dogs, jogging, etc.). Last week, the smaller of the chicks disappeared and I feared it had been killed. Three days later, it magically reappeared. I was SO happy to see it, you'd think it was mine. Hopefully, the parents will be successful next time in seeing their chicks fledge. As to the photo, I love the wingspread. It almost makes me want to cry knowing it's an empty nest now. :(

[Troy Lim]

Thanks for the input guys. I have since took down the nest, filled it with wood shaving, sealed the top to prevent further damage and water leak and set it back up higher on another palm tree.
As for the season, this was the 2d try they had this season. Another friend has a pair that just started, so I am not sure. The parents are around in the neighborhood. If they don't come back again, I am hoping Screech owl might take over? :)

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Beautiful wingspread and backlighting. Nature is so very sad sometimes and I find the more I immerse myself into it the more common it is for chicks to not survive. I would have never known that fact if I wasn't a photographer.