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.
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 Woodpecker, photographed through too many twigs to count
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.
Ukwildlife
13 Feb 2009great photos – the second one is the best 🙂
cakkleberrylane
13 Feb 2009All wonderful shots, but the second photo is my favorite. Artistic as well as scientific! I love the splayed tail feathers. Very nice indeed!
Vulpes vulpes
13 Feb 2009I SO wish we had woodpeckers in Ireland! Lovely dunnock capture too.
gdare
13 Feb 2009The 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 😛
Words
14 Feb 2009Lois 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.
Words
14 Feb 2009Darko, thanks! The snow has cleared up here, but I can imagine when you get snow, you really get snow!
Words
14 Feb 2009Neil, thanks. I think we're agreed on shot number 2!
Words
14 Feb 2009Vulpes, I still find it so odd that you don't have woodpeckers.
SittingFox
14 Feb 2009Very 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…
Words
14 Feb 2009Adele, the background set the dunnock off perfectly. As for the woodpeckers… they drive me batty trying to get a clear shot. :insane:
SittingFox
14 Feb 2009I had a little luck this morning :whistle: but they are truly maddening most of the time.
Words
14 Feb 2009Adele, I see that you did!