Woodpecker Project - Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

[Marina Scarr]

There are 7 species of woodpecker that nest in Florida, and one that visits in Winter but doesn't nest here, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. I finally had the opportunity to witness and photograph my first Yellow-bellied Sapsucker pecking out little sap wells in this Red Maple tree. You can clearly see the sap wells right in front of her, all lined up, as well as some sap under her right toe. The feather design on the backs of these birds is quite elaborate.

My project is to photograph all 7 woodpecker species nesting with chicks. So far the only one which has eluded me is the Hairy Woodpecker. They are sometimes seen in these parts of Florida but tend to nest farther north. If anyone knows of a Hairy Woodpecker nest site which they would be willing to share, I would be most grateful since I'm nearing the finish line!

C & C always welcomed and much appreciated.

Canon 1D4, Canon 500 & 2 @ 1000mm
F11, 1/400sec, ISO 800, manual mode
Feisol tripod, Jobu head

[Arthur Morris]

Wow. You caught a great pose; love the look at the foot and the spread tail. And I love the image design, including the bump on the tree below the bird. The sap adds. Some NIK Detail Extractor on the back would even out the lighting. I like the row of holes too.

Sibley's range maps show, as I suspected, that this species does not nest anywhere near FL so that makes 6 nesting here.

[Marina Scarr]

Sibley's range maps show, as I suspected, that this species does not nest anywhere near FL so that makes 6 nesting here.

Maybe I was unclear, Artie. There are in fact 7 species of woodpecker that nest in Florida PLUS this species that visits. So far, I have 6 of the 7 that nest and the sapsucker which leaves me needing the Hairy.

Thank you for your critique. I did use some DE on the back but couldn't go any further without it looking funky.

[John Rowell]

Guess I'll repeat Artie's word for this, WOW. Very nice sun washing across his breast and face. Terrific red crest on his head and all the colors work very nicely together. The detail is just great and sun not too harsh so there is not too much contrast. I think the clean green background makes a perfect backdrop. Angle is not too steep, at 1,000 mm very well done indeed.

[Troy Lim]

Sweet shot. I really love the angle of the light.

[Holger Leyrer]

Gorgeous pose, light, and BG. The big perch fits to the bird. Beautiful image.

[John Robinson]

Interesting stuff - especially about the sap wells. I am still envious of the range of species you get over there.
If only the head had been half an inch to the left- but thats reaaly picky !!!
Everything looks good to me
Cheers
JR

[Bill Dix]

Lovely light, and his head turn catches it very nicely. Beautiful BG, and the row of sap wells, top it off. I was thinking the same as Johnny -- wanted him to lean back just a tad for his bill to clear the trunk. But a lovely shot of the species. I saw one in Sanibel on Thanksgiving Day a year ago, but I guess he was just visiting. We have Hairy WP's at my feeder in Princeton, and they must nest nearby since we had adults and juvies in the spring, but I don't know where the nest is. Doesn't help your Florida project, though.

[Don Lacy]

Love the pose Marina, you had some difficult lighting which you handled well. Good luck on the Hairy

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Very cool species, this one visits Costa Rica but I have never been lucky enough to see it. I wish you good luck with your WP images!

[Phillip Tomkinson]

Hi Marina it's a great looking image with a nice pose and good light.

Phillip.

[Arthur Morris]

Maybe I was unclear, Artie. There are in fact 7 species of woodpecker that nest in Florida PLUS this species that visits. So far, I have 6 of the 7 that nest and the sapsucker which leaves me needing the Hairy.

Thank you for your critique. I did use some DE on the back but couldn't go any further without it looking funky.

YAW. I will try to do this from memory. Nesting in FLA; Hairy, Downy, Red-shafted (or Northern) Flicker, Pileated, Red-bellied,and Red-cockaded.... Ah, I thought that Red-headed might nest this far south so I checked SIbley. That is indeed #7. Thanks for the clarification. My bad, I read too quickly above....

[vishaljadhav]

Wow a wonderful woodpecker, the head turn really makes this special
IQ is fantastic, light is lovely
great looking image

[keith mitchell]

Marina I must get myself back to Florida before I get to old, you certainly have got a great Varity of birds over there and you really have made a good job of this one, catching the light beautifully.

Keith.

[Satish Ranadive]

Excellent image of beautiful Woodpecker. I like the light and shadows. Superb composition.
Feel nice to read about your project.

Regards,
Satish.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Marina, a great project you have on your hands, and great first of this species in your files - big congrats. Well positioned to show the wells, and a neat job she did too. The visible sap on her toe adds interest.