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Pileated Woodpeckers


Pileated Woodpeckers
Photo Information
Copyright: Trevor McLeod (rapidshot) Silver Note Writer [C: 5 W: 0 N: 41] (257)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-11-21
Categories: Birds
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-H5
Exposure: f/4, 1/500 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2006-12-05 11:57
Viewed: 610
Points: 4
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Pileated Woodpecker (Male & Female)
Time Spent in the Swamp

I took these two pictures only a week apart. It seems they are easier to spot in the fall. The male has the red under it's eye and the female the black. They are about 1.5 feet high. I was shocked to see them for the first time, as I had bought my zoom camera to take pictures of SMALL birds. I first spotted the female soaring over local swamp making clicking noises followed by wolf whistles. Her tail was bent upward on a 45 degree angle giving it the illusion of a smaller bird. When I saw it land in a nearby section of trees adjacient to the swamp I spent the better part of 15 minutes getting to it. When I got there I found it on the ground pecking at the base of poplar and birch trees. This maybe because in the Fall the sap is low in the tree. It stayed on the ground for the 250 feet I followed it without distress at 20 feet away. I shot her for 20 minutes before she decided she had had enough of my following her. The females don't dig as deeply into the tree as the male does. She only flew 150 feet before landing again and did this repeatedly between feeding zones. The male I heard pecking in a tree about 30 feet up a week later about 30 miles away. When I pursued, it move to another tree and then another until I was able to get shots of it at the 5 foot level in a birch tree on the edge 0f a farmland grassy field. This male was very comfortable flying by nearby crow populations. It would even go so far as to graze in the fields of grass near them for short periods of time before returning to tall trees along side the farm's fields. I should mention that this farmer's field was adjacient to swampland since these birds had that in common. I believe there are more insects in the swampy areas and the poplar and birch thrive there primarily.

More on the Pileated Woodpecker can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pileated_woodpecker

Photo Quality: I found that in taking these pictures that my autofocus tends to focus on thin twigs and grass blades in front of the birds. This leaves the birds slightly out of focus. I've still got to learn to manual focus. I also believe there's a way with the Sony Cybershot H5 to change your focus area. (Orginal picture without photoshopping)

Photo Practice: I believe that I should invest in a tiny chair for stalking from one place. I'm also getting in the habit of leaning on trees to stabljize the shot as much as there's a built in stablizer. The zoom will destablize your image the odd time even with the stablizer on.

Photo Conditions: An overcast fall day. Continuous murky white cloud cover with high UV light both days.

Tips are appreciated for shooting with my cybershot H5. Especially on the focusing as I'm not making the most of it.
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To Janice: Thanks for the welcomerapidshot 2 12-05 22:51
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3464 W: 145 N: 5942] (17790)
  • [2006-12-05 14:56]
  • [+]

Hello Trevor, welcome to TN. And you post us 2 photos to start off with. It is always hard to show a bird when it is surrounded by branches, so good on your for your efforts here.

Very interesting notes too, thank you.

My first digital was a Sony Cybershot P8 and I had to practice very hard to hold it steady and try and focus very carefully. All I can say is keep practicing and take more than one photo each time. Try zooming in a little, but keep the subject in the middle for focussing - then crop around the finished pic so it isn't in the centre for posting.

I look forward to seeing more of your photos, thank you,
Janice

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2006-12-05 23:10]

Hello Trevor

Good capture of this woodpecker,I love hearing these guys in the woods,I haven't been able to get a good photo of one yet.You have done very well.Both shots show the bird well.Great first post.Welcome to TN.TFS

Rob

  •      
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2390 W: 194 N: 1991] (8113)
  • [2006-12-06 21:33]

Hi Trevor,
interesting capture, I heard of this bird, but never seen one up close yet.
Welcome to Treknature.
Sky

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