Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Melanerpes Carolinus

Red-bellieds and other woodpeckers are extremely attracted to suet placed in cracks and crevices of fallen logs and tree trunks. This is a great way to get photos of them away from the feeders.




Thank you for visiting my little ol' blog and for your friendship. I don't say 'thank you' enough. Blogging can be very time-consuming, so the fact that you took time out of your day to visit me means so much. As the days get prettier, I am out and about with my camera, and catching up with my blogging friends in the evenings. That will be my current schedule until it's too hot to be outside. Thanks for your understanding. :)

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Thanks, Anni!


45 comments:

Carole M. said...

...you noted this one has been ringed/banded no doubt Gail? Do you report your sighting? I think it's really special to find them and be able to help with the recordings, and to find out where they may have been originally tagged. Fantastic and sharp photos, wonderful!

Roan said...

Amazing shots! Love the one in mid-blink.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

The one is blinking :-) Beautiful shots today!

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

I love tricky people. Great shots.

Amy Burzese said...

Marvelous shots, Gail. I'll have to try this. And thank you for being here too!

Stewart M said...

Great looking bird - I love the colours!

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Waldameise Andrea said...

Gail, fantastische Aufnahmen. So ein Glück, diesen Vogel so nah vor die Linse zu bekommen.
Aber auch deine anderen Fotos habe ich soeben bewundert. Schöne Aufnahme, danke fürs Teilen.

Liebe Grüße
Waldameise

Camila Rafaela Felippi said...

Lovely bird, I love animals s2

orchid0324 said...

Dearest Gail;
I wondered what the title meant; How amateur p;)
Your Red-bellied woodpecker is SO lovely, yes especially the blinking shot♡♡♡ Your expansion of where he is was so interesting to me.

Sending you Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

Unknown said...

What stunning shots! and thank you for that wonderful tip!

Irma said...

Great pictures of the woodpecker, Gail.
Very well photographed, my compliments.
Greetings Irma

TexWisGirl said...

just spectacular photos! and a very happy red-belly!

Karen said...

Brilliant shots Gail!

rainfield61 said...

And again, that's a colourful and beautiful bird.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Absolutely gorgeous shots.

The Cranky said...

Oh, gorgeous captures Gail! And what a great idea in re: the suet in cracks...we have an ugly old tree in the back garden that would benefit the environment greatly if it became a feeding station for woodpeckers, so I'll definitely be trying this out.

Suzan said...

That's one happy woodpecker!!
Wonderful shots and a great idea to get them closer to your!!

Indrani said...

Superb captures. I think both of you are content with your respective captures.

Phil Slade said...

Tremendous pictures Gail. And a good tip for anyone who doesn't know how to get 'peckers on their feeders. The band on the leg is so close it's almost possible to read it. Is there someone nearby banding those Red-bellied Peckers or is it from further away?

sunshine said...

Terrific photos and details.

barbara l. hale said...

What great photos and a terrific tip! Thanks for that! Have fun out shooting!

Evelyn S. said...

The color! Fabulous detail, as always, Gail. I wonder if I put out a suet block if I could attract a woodpecker or two? The Flicker is the only one I see on a semi-regular basis...and the one I hear hammering away on the utility pole next door. :-)

hootnonny said...

Awesome shot and great advice for us bird novices!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

wild eye closing shot. neat-o!! i love watching these guys in our yard. they have a beauty tune too!! ( :

Unknown said...

What interesting and beautiful birds! Love the burst of red. We had woodpeckers but I can't say I've seen the colors you have captured here, I have seen their stored nuts in the tree trunks though :)

Melissa said...

Terrific detail in all these images. Wonder what's going on with his eye in the second shot. I didn't know they could do that with their eyes!

eileeninmd said...

Love your Redbellied shots! Enjoy your outings!

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

These are really wonderful, Gail. I think, if I had to pick a favorite, it would be #3...but I'm glad I don't have to pick. :)

Brian King said...

Fantastic shots! These are one of my favorite woodpeckers!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful shots, Gail.

Hilary said...

These are excellent captures, Gail. And "too hot to be outside" sounds pretty good to me as I look out over the still-frozen lake. ;)

Inspired By June said...

Woodpeckers are so much fun! I was in northeastern AZ once and had a chance to see some acorn woodpeckers - their markings are so unusual - there were a bunch of them and they were characters indeed! Love these shots, Gail! I'll have to remember that trick about the suet!

Tricia said...

What a great group of shots, Gail! I wish I had the talent to capture wildlife photos like you do! I'm better with things that are stationary…like flowers :)

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

These are beautiful! I love seeing him so close-up. I was just telling my husband that your blog teaches me so much about birds. :-)

DeniseinVA said...

Fabulous photos Gail, what a great idea about the suet in crevices. I saw one these the other day on our walk, but he was too far away for a decent photo. It was fun to watch him though, it looked like he was checking out a large round hold in a tree trunk. Always enjoy stopping by here and fun this week.

Unknown said...

Awesome shots of this gorgeous bird!

Marco Luijken said...

Hello Gail,
These shots are so great. Amazing the colors of this woodpecker.
Wonderful to see how you've photographed him so well.

Best regards,
Marco

Haddock said...

The design variation on their wings are so beautiful.

Debbie said...

Winking at you in that second one!! These are spectacular!!

Wally Jones said...

Superb photographs of a really beautiful woodpecker, Gail!

He's a beauty!

We have a pair nesting in the back yard. Hope they're successful.

Anni said...

I'm late getting around to visiting and viewing your marvelous woodpeckers 'cause of the ABA Convention, and photographing birds..lol

Love them. As always Gail!!!

Ida said...

Awesome shots of this woodpecker. So clear and detailed. It's a beautiful bird.

LC said...

Wonderful shots and interesting info on "how-to" strategies.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Lovely bird. What is he doing to his eye in the second picture? We have some of those around here, but I usually see them on posts or tree trunks (growing trees), makes for a boring picture. I wonder if the park manager would mind if I put out some suet on a log somewhere. I might try.

Helma said...

This kind of beautiful woodpeckers we Neit in the Netherlands.
Really wonderful to see.