When hatchling Pileated Woodpeckers defecate in the nest cavity the fecal material is contained in a mucous membrane covered fecal sac. When the parents return to the nest cavity after feeding the chicks the parent enters the nest cavity, emerging with a fecal sac cleaning the nest cavity. I captured this image in 2016 (processed today with Lightroom Classic and Photoshop CC 2020) when the woodpeckers nested in the trunk of a dead palm tree. The nest was about forty feet up with a clear grassy area surrounding the nest circled by woods and heavy underbrush. I moved back as far as possible to decrease the upwards angle, I wish I could have gotten higher. Image captured at Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County, Florida. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.
Nikon D7000
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED, image captured at 400mm
1/2000 F/8 Matrix Metering EV +1/3 ISO 900 Auto WB, camera supported by a monopod
Post processed in Lightroom Classic, Photoshop CC 2020 and Neat Image for noise reduction
Cropped for composition and presentation
P.S. Learn more about Circle B Bar Reserve in the BAA Middle Florida Photography Site Guide co-authored by Artie and me. It is available on the Birds As Art Online Store.
Last edited by Joseph Przybyla; 11-06-2019 at 08:48 AM.
Joe Przybyla
"Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams
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Pileated Woodpecker Removing Fecal Sac From Nest
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Originally Posted by Tim Munsey
