Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Small Woody


While walking around one of the interesting marsh areas that are so nicely maintained by the local beaver family near my house, I came across this woodpecker and at first thought I had seen a new species. In my excitement I took several dozen photos.  When I got home and used my various bird books and brought it up tight on the monitor, I saw it was a juvenile red-headed woodpecker. You may just see the red feathers starting to cover his/her head. He/she was somewhat shy.  What a gangly and awkward-looking teenager he appears to be!    Just a little curious and just a little timid.  (Apologies as I reduced the size of these photos...so they are not as clear as I would have liked.)

14 comments:

  1. Good woodpecker shot. I've never seen a juvenile so this was treat for me.

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  2. nice. i can hear him knocking...a quite enjoyable sound while walking through the woods...beavers are cool too...

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  3. Love these photos. Hearing or seeing a woodpecker gives me a cheap thrill.

    (lots to catch up ... thx for your patience)

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  4. Nice pics!

    Woodpeckers are one of my favorite birds, but I have the worst luck in photographing them because of their shyness.
    (That, and my lack of a good zoom lens... maybe I'll get one for Christmas!)

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  5. Great pictures, I haven't seen a woodpecker in quite awhile.

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  6. Good image - so far the birds are not at my feeders. Wonder why?
    May be too early and plenty to eat in the woods.

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  7. It's amazing how a juvenile of various bird species can be so incredibly different. Fun discovering them though.

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  8. Great shots!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  9. A teenage bird! I tend to think of them as baby birds or adults, skipping the child/juvenile stage altogether. You've opened my eyes :)


    An aside: the word verification is mindfib! So, looks like you've opened my mind as well.

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  10. An absolute gem. Thanks for posting it.

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  11. (By the way? Worst post name ever! LOL!)

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  12. ERic, my mind NEVER went that direction...;-)

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  13. Lucky you to see a redhead! Exciting to get some shots of him too. Hope you see him again.

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  14. How nice! I haven't seen a red-headed woodpecker in many decades. Would love to again.

    Thanks for sharing the experience.

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Glad to hear from you once again. I really like these visits. Come sit on this log and tell me what you are thinking.