Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Gallery: AvianPosted May 28, 2012146 views13 comments

Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris)

Place: backyard Phoenix, AZ
Date: May 26, 2012, 12:49 pm
Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E III (2x), G1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 400, aperture priority spot meter, 1/320th @ f/8
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac, 53% of frame
Not set up, not baited or called, no cloning, no NR

Ladder-backed Woodpecker is the local equivalent of the widespread Downy, which is a hard to find high elevation bird in AZ. It has taken 18 years for any ladder-back to discover our yard. A pair visited on and off for about a week a few months ago, and we had another visit last week. This male showed up at high noon two days ago and was quite tolerant while being very active in the yard.

I had a lot of trouble with the places the woodpecker was working and even more with the harsh light. Even though the light is not great here this was my favorite from a couple hundred frames I got.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. Larger image provided.

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on May 28, 2012 at 12:44 PM

Exceptional pose and comp on this woodpecker. Unfortunately, the bright light and shadows you had to work with were not very forgiving. Not a bad image...just hope you get a shot at him during a better part of the day. Happy for you that he showed up! Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on May 28, 2012 at 1:21 PM

Great pose and bg, Richard, and a nice job handling the harsh light.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Sally Wood on May 28, 2012 at 2:27 PM

Richard this is amazing.. really caught this little guy in his element!! and even got the light on his face and eye! Nicely done!

Registered on March 8, 2012, 39 Posts, 509 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on May 28, 2012 at 3:08 PM

Nice shot under difficult circumstances. I like the upside down pose with the straight up tail and the clean BG only problem was the light and there wasn't much you could do about that.

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on May 28, 2012 at 4:39 PM

I like the pose and your choice of comp here Rich. The light as you noted, was not very favorable- but you did a wonderful job presenting the image. I'm not certain that your bag contains a flash, but I would think a little fill would lighten up the shadows and neutralize the harsh light somewhat...just a thought.

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by Verdon on May 28, 2012 at 5:11 PM

veeery nice Richard, great pose, nice background and awesome detail.....

Registered on June 10, 2011, 147 Posts, 1444 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on May 28, 2012 at 5:44 PM

I'm not certain that your bag contains a flash, but I would think a little fill would lighten up the shadows and neutralize the harsh light somewhat...just a thought.

That's good advice, and my kit does include flash. I rarely use it as I don't like the thing hanging off the camera and the way the pre-flash often scares the birds away. This would definitely have been a place to use it if it wasn't still in the house when I had this opportunity.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on May 28, 2012 at 8:02 PM

You did well dealing with such harsh light to capture this unique pose and bird, nice feather detail. Sweet Photo Richard!

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on May 28, 2012 at 11:34 PM

Love the pose and the perch.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by David Williams on May 28, 2012 at 11:55 PM

I guess if we wait long enough, they might come to us?.....

18 years is a long time, but you have made the most of this shot, Richard......nicely done.

Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on May 30, 2012 at 11:21 PM

Exceptional detail in this image. In the larger version the bird looks alive on my screen.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on May 31, 2012 at 7:28 AM

Very good details and you've managed this light nicely Rich.
I especially like the hanging pose with its tail turned sharply upwards.

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on May 31, 2012 at 10:36 AM

Great pose and a wonderful species as well ! I guess that despite the lighting conditions I can understand your excitement over having this particular species as a model ! Cheers. Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments