Almost done!

Gallery: AvianPosted March 20, 2011199 views12 comments

This was a beautiful evening in Elk Island National Park: good light and plenty of birds. This Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) alighted on a number of interesting perches. He even started picking at the snow on the ground. I like the angle and the perch because I usually see the woodpeckers up in the trees or at a feeder.

Comments and feedback are welcome, as always. Thanks in advance.

I identified the bird as a male Hairy Woodpecker based on size, beak, stripes on head and pattern on wings. Is this correct or is it a Downy Woodpecker?

Canon 7D, Sigma 150-500 at 313, f/8.0, ISO 400, 1/400 sec, handheld, RAW (edited LR3), crop to about 80% of original (should have selected a longer focal length).

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on March 20, 2011 at 11:24 PM

Beautiful composition and exposure is spot on - what a site to capture with your camera. You're correct on the ID - bill length is the best way to tell.

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on March 20, 2011 at 11:52 PM

Yes, Hairy Woodpecker.

A lovely setting and lovely light. I like the composition and the exposure.

I'd like this to be a bit sharper and wonder about any noise reduction or sharpening done in post processing.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on March 21, 2011 at 12:37 AM

A real eye-catching image Roger, makes the subject appear as though it's climbing a mountain that's somehow shed it's snowcap ;^) Very nice indeed :^)

Kind regards,

Ashley

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Holguin on March 21, 2011 at 12:47 AM

Excellent pic. I really like the composition, well exposed, and great light. Well done.

Registered on January 25, 2011, 44 Posts, 294 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on March 21, 2011 at 4:14 AM

Very cool shot, Roger. Amazing setting.
Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on March 21, 2011 at 9:37 AM

really a neat shot, Roger. great light, and the stump surrounded by snow gives me the impression of a peak rising up through the clouds. I also am interested in Rich's question about processing, as the bird could be a little sharper.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on March 21, 2011 at 1:39 PM

Sweet environmental photo Roger!!! The way the light emphasizes the texture of the stump is awesome.

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on March 21, 2011 at 4:04 PM

Wonderful scene and composition, nice job on handling the snow and good directional light and I also noticed the bird is soft on the larger image, good job in seeing and getting this shot.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on March 21, 2011 at 8:06 PM

Really an unusual and appealing setting Roger. Great lighting. The bird seems a little soft to me too and I wonder about the answers to the questions Rich asked...

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on March 21, 2011 at 9:23 PM

Love the comp and setting. Great image and well done

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Bob Crowther on March 22, 2011 at 5:34 AM

Nice pic - the caption made me laugh, well done.

Registered on July 10, 2010, 18 Posts, 17 Comments

Comment posted by Roger Kirchen on April 2, 2011 at 9:30 PM

Thank you all for your comments. This is most appreciated and does help me improve my photo making. Luke and Richard, thanks for confirming the ID of the bird - it's nice to have confirmation. Richard, Brian, Jim and Ron (and all who wondered about post-processing and the bird being soft), I used LR3 for sharpening and noise reduction and may well have overdone the noise reduction part. And been light on the sharpening. Also, the focus may have shifted during the capture - this seems to be a recurring problem for me. I now have set AF "single shot" now and will try MF. Unfortunately, over the last couple of weeks, I have not had time to spend on photography. It looks like I will have some time to go back to the captures next week (or even tomorrow depending on the weather) and will try to sharpen the bird (if possible) and check out the other photos from the same series to see if there is one where the bird is sharper. This one was the best from a composition point of view, I thought. I will follow up in any case and repost if I can improve the image. Regards to all.

Registered on March 6, 2011, 95 Posts, 847 Comments