Pretty in Pink (Dunnock mix)

By Paul Cecil | Published February 13, 2009

Continuing the recent theme (which I suspect went largely unnoticed) of using songs for blog titles, here's a couple of shots of a dunnock I saw today.

dunnock

dunnock

And one which isn't so much pink, but red, and isn't so much red as obscured… but a great spotted woodpecker is worth posting whatever the quality of the shot. I was photographing a small sign posted on a local allotment when I was distracted by a repetitive drumming coming from the nearby woods. Avoiding as much of the mud as possible, I clambered up to the trees and started to look around. And lo and behold this little thing was high in the trees, masked by twigs, but unmistakable for all that.

great spotted woodpeckerGreat Spotted Woodpecker, photographed through too many twigs to count
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Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens. For the woodpecker I switched from the standard AI focusing to manual as the only way of avoiding the branches that were blocking any clear line of sight.

This entry was posted in Birds and tagged , .

12 Comments

  1. Ukwildlife February 13, 2009 at 12:02 am #

    great photos – the second one is the best 🙂

  2. cakkleberrylane February 13, 2009 at 12:02 am #

    All wonderful shots, but the second photo is my favorite. Artistic as well as scientific! I love the splayed tail feathers. Very nice indeed!

  3. Vulpes vulpes February 13, 2009 at 1:02 am #

    I SO wish we had woodpeckers in Ireland! Lovely dunnock capture too.

  4. gdare February 13, 2009 at 6:02 am #

    The second one is great.
    Here, with a snow storm that started yesterday, birds fly only if they have to. The rest of them are walking, I suppose 😛

  5. Words February 14, 2009 at 1:02 am #

    Lois thanks. The second shot is my favourite too. I think it's the first time I've captured a dunnock with its tail feathers spread like that.

  6. Words February 14, 2009 at 1:02 am #

    Darko, thanks! The snow has cleared up here, but I can imagine when you get snow, you really get snow!

  7. Words February 14, 2009 at 1:02 am #

    Neil, thanks. I think we're agreed on shot number 2!

  8. Words February 14, 2009 at 1:02 am #

    Vulpes, I still find it so odd that you don't have woodpeckers.

  9. SittingFox February 14, 2009 at 10:02 am #

    Very colourful backdrop and I like the light shining though its tail feathers 🙂

    Eh, woodpeckers. Most of the time they're like this, but just very occasionally they will be almost ridiculously cooperative. They do seem to have a knack for choosing trees with multitudes of little branches though…

  10. Words February 14, 2009 at 10:02 am #

    Adele, the background set the dunnock off perfectly. As for the woodpeckers… they drive me batty trying to get a clear shot. :insane:

  11. SittingFox February 14, 2009 at 11:02 am #

    I had a little luck this morning :whistle: but they are truly maddening most of the time.

  12. Words February 14, 2009 at 6:02 pm #

    Adele, I see that you did!