Pileated Woodpecker

Gallery: AvianPosted June 7, 2016132 views7 comments

We were camped at La Wis Wis NFCG near Packwood, WA for a few days last week and there was a fairly large snag projecting over the river at one edge of our camp site. The robin I posted last used it as a perch regularly, so I kind of kept an eye on it but was looking elsewhere when I heard this woodpecker call from that direction and it was kind enough to spend quite a bit of time there and provide plenty of frames. Unfortunately, I was on it's left and it appeared to be "right-headed" so when it was prying wood out or pecking, the back of its head was usually toward me. Still, it was a great experience and I'm satisfied with the images I got from it. In an added bit of serendipity, it was a partly cloudy afternoon with kept the harshness of the light under control.

7DII, Sigma 150-600 C @ 374 mm, Wimberley sidekick on Z1 ballhead on RRS legs, f/7.1, 1/400, iso 800, aperture priority, pattern metering, -1/3 EV. Processed in LR5 & CS6. Cropped from a horizontal original to a 4x5 vertical at 7.9 MP. Taken at 2:51 PM under partly cloudy skies.

Your comments and criticisms are always appreciated.

Thanks,

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on June 7, 2016 at 9:34 PM

Very good Pileated, Dennis! The blacks have good detail and the whites are well tamed. Excellent detail and comp. Techs look spot on. devil

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on June 8, 2016 at 9:16 AM

A nice one Dennis. I like the snag perch of the wood pecker as well as it's position on it. Also think the BG tends to show the area the bird was found in. The head looks just a tad soft. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on June 8, 2016 at 5:33 PM

Excellent use of the opportunity, Dennis. The soft light helped but you get most of the credit for the good detail in the blacks and whites. Striking composition. A really nice Pileated shot.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on June 8, 2016 at 7:36 PM

The large image is very impressive Dennis. Classic woodpecker pose on a great perch. That soft light worked well for you. The techs look good too. devil

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on June 9, 2016 at 1:40 PM

Nice job on the woodpecker. The big ones are a little less intimidated by us. I find the smaller woodpeckers seem to be a lot more shy. I like this image. It is well composed and nicely sharp. Good color.