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Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Discussion

7 replies
Posted by Danny Green on March 15, 2006 at 4:33 PM
Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
I took this image last year in Yorkshire. A good friend of mine had a been told of an excellent nest that was only about four feet from the ground. He tried to contact the guy that found it but he was on holiday so he searched the area and eventually found the nest. I went up the next day and managed to get some images but by the next day the chicks had fledged and we were left to wonder what we could of got on this extremely difficult species.

Canon EOS 1D Mk11, 500mm Lens, 1.4x Converter, Hide, F5.6, 1/30, ISO Rating 200.

Danny Green
Posted by Philip Kirkham on March 15, 2006 at 4:52 PM
Hello Danny
Rare as rocking horse droppings! Great capture, that BG certainly shows the bird well too.
Best wishes
Phil :toast: :toast: :toast:
Posted by Tim Munsey on March 16, 2006 at 2:04 AM
Hi Danny,
Nice one, great pose and surroundings. I have one plus in my new patch I've managed a long distance capture, I hear a lot of low volume drummings and wonder if that is them?

:toast:

Tim
Posted by PhilH on March 16, 2006 at 3:36 AM
Well done on getting an image of an elusive and quite rare bird, it looks good from here, I think I might have bumped the ISO up a shade just to ensure a bit more critical sharpness from a slightly faster shutter speed...

:toast:
Posted by David Kjaer on March 16, 2006 at 4:07 AM
Hi Danny

It's all been said re this elusive species - I love the BG and pose. I agree re the critical sharpness which I think a tad more USM might cure!

David :toast: :toast:
Posted by Clive_S on March 16, 2006 at 5:12 AM
Superb. Love the lookback pose. A bit off the top and lhs might help the composition?
Posted by David J Slater on March 16, 2006 at 7:29 AM
Hello Danny and everyone. I've been a long term browser of this site and your brilliant photo now prompts me to make my first contribution. These birds are difficult to find let alone photograph, and I know yours was taken in the wild so hats off to you. I think it's sharp enough and you used the right ASA setting - anything more leads to softness and therefore work in PS (you are, after all, a wildlife photographer and to me computers should play a minimum role). If there's anything negative to say is that your background is too perfect!!! It looks captive to those who don't know different. The nest hole or a more prominent OOF BG of woodland or tree would have given it a better natural history value. Overall a fantastic shot. I'm impressed as well as very jealous.

Dave
Posted by Helge Sorensen on March 16, 2006 at 1:16 PM
Well, Danny I better join the line of envious photographers. Very pleasing photo of a great specie. Just a tad too soft for me! :toast: