Downy Woodpecker (juvenile)

[Ric Grupe]

Camera Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II N
Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec
Aperture: 6.3
Exposure mode: Av
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Partial
Drive mode: Continuous (high)
ISO: 640
Lens: EF400mm f/4 DO IS USM +1.4x
Focal length: 560mm
AF mode: One-shot AF

[Doug Brown]

Hi Ric! Eye contact is good and eye is nice and sharp but I'd like to see more sharpness in the rest of the bird. Your area of sharpest focus seems to be the pine needles behind the bird. I'd also like to see a vertical crop here. I do like the BG. Thanks for posting!

[John Chardine]

Ric- I like the bird and the pine needles. The ones coming out of the bird's back add quite an interesting element. A little bit more light in the bird's face would be beneficial (Shadows and Highlights in Ps?). The main issue with the image is the overpowering, OOF tree trunk in the middle of the image. I think you could work out a crop that would reduce the impact of the tree.

[Doug Brown]

I think a vertical crop will help with the OOF tree trunk.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Photos of woodpeckers perched vertically on a tree are almost 100% of the time preferably composed as a vertical, no exception here. See how cropping as a vertical lessens the impact of the tree mentioned by John and Doug? I like the yellow tuft at the base of the bill!

[Grace Scalzo]

Really nice image, i like the comp of the repost. I'd remove one catchlight in the eye, selectively sharpen the bird, then be real happy with this image if it was mine!!

[Ric Grupe]

Well...I meant to remove that double catch-light and got caught up with other thoughts on this composite image.

I ended up cropping for the verticle in an 8x10, so it has a little less height and a little more room to the left of the birds head. I loved those needles to the right of the tree trunk....but could easily see from the cropped example that that was the way to go.

It printed great...thanks again. :D

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Ric, I actually like them both, ESP the ORIG post. A different COMP for sure but I just love all of the pine needles. And, the bird looks pretty sharp to me. Kudos for thinking out of the box.

Does the speckled forehead indicate a young bird?

[Ric Grupe]

Hi Ric, I actually like them both, ESP the ORIG post. A different COMP for sure but I just love all of the pine needles. And, the bird looks pretty sharp to me. Kudos for thinking out of the box.

Does the speckled forehead indicate a young bird?

Thanks, Artie.:)

The coloration is completely different than an adult Downey...which just looks a bit odd because it's very young - just fledged this year. Juveniles have the red on the crown, rather than the nape, and those dark streaks in the white flanks. The yellow in the tufts at the base of the bill is a feature I have not seen before, but perhaps it is a juvenile characteristic too.