Feb 8, 2021 | AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Daily Image 2021, In Search of Snowbirds, Nikon 1 V3, Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Northern Illinois | 1/04/2021 11:17am Local Time | Cloudy 26°F Light Winds
In Search of Snowbirds | Red-bellied Woodpecker In this image, the Red-bellied Woodpecker is temporarily perched on a big branch waiting his turn at the bird feeder below. They rarely perch when trees with good bark are near. And, they rarely stay in one place for very long; measured in a few seconds.
The Back Story This image was a simple click. Sometimes, you work hard to get the image. Sometimes, it’s a matter of having the camera on the table just before lunch. Then, it’s a simple, lucky click.
Quick Facts…
| Red-bellied Woodpecker |
| Habitat | Woodlands, groves, orchards…deciduous forests especially along rivers and swamps. |
| Range | Year around in Northern Illinois |
| Nest | Cavity in a tree, pole, fence post, or stump |
| Diet | Omnivorous…eats many insects and plant material including acorns, nuts, fruits, and seeds. |
| Behavior | Bark forager for insects on tree trunks & limbs. Perches on branches to pick berries & nuts. |
| Size | Length: 9.4 in | Weight: .0-3.2 oz | Wingspan: 13.0-16.5 in |
Mar 20, 2020 | AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Daily Image 2020, Last Snow Birds, Nikon 1 V3, Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Last Snow Birds | Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpeckers bring bright colors and exciting action to bird feeders. They are attracted to bird feeders, near wooded areas, containing a bird mix including suet or sunflower seeds. Birds like this Red-bellied Woodpecker can be challenging to capture even with a long, fast lens. They are very flighty and when disturbed, they tend to fly high into a tree before landing. For the whole story with all images, see Last Snow Birds | a 7 Image Story.
Mar 15, 2020 | 7 Image Stories, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Cardinal, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch, Junco, Last Snow Birds, Nature, Nikon 1 V3, Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Last Snow Birds | a 7 Image Story The snow storm this week will likely be the last of the season. Spring is only a few days away. The snow on the trees melted by the afternoon. These images are of common, local birds. Still, capturing the falling snow in the photos make them a bit different.
Male Cardinal Cardinals seem to like winter. A Male Cardinal’s brilliant red body can cheer us up, particularly when viewed against the falling snow. Cardinals don’t migrate and don’t molt into a dull plumage. They stay breathtakingly beautiful against winter’s snow.
Dark-eyed Junco The snowfall makes a nice background for a Dark-eyed Junco. The Juncos are common around here and stay around all winter. They seem to like the nearby woodland areas, but also hang around the bird feeder, particularly in the winter when it snows.
Bird Branch Where is the bird? Well, there is no bird. It flew away. Still, I just like this image. It’s about the budding tree and snow showers.
Sparrow Sparrows are very common and plentiful in northern Illinois. Many folks don’t pay much attention to them. They can still make a nice photo.
House Finch House Finch love small, black oil sunflower seed. My backyard feeder is a general outdoor bird feed which contains some sunflower seed. They show up by the dozen in the winter
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Last Snow Birds.
Click any image below for a slide show.
Feb 3, 2020 | AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Backyard Winter Birds, Daily Image 2020, Nikon 1 V3, Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Backyard Winter Birds | Male Red-bellied Woodpecker Seems like this red-bellied woodpecker should be called a red-headed woodpecker. Notice the rose coloring on a red-bellied woodpecker’s breast. When this species was first named, the red-headed woodpecker name was already used to name a different bird. The flighty Red-bellied Woodpecker brings bright colors and exciting action to bird feeders. Around here, only one bird, the Blue Jay, will chase the it from the feeder. They are attracted to bird feeders, near wooded areas, containing a bird mix including suet or sunflower seeds. For the whole story with all images, see Backyard Winter Birds | a 7 Image Story.
Feb 2, 2020 | 7 Image Stories, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Backyard Winter Birds, Blue Jay, Cardinal, Dark-eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker, Mourning Dove, Nature, Nikon 1 V3, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Robins, Starling
Backyard Winter Birds | a 7 Image Story Each winter the snow provides contrast and background for backyard birds. Even though the same bird species tend to feed at the backyard bird feeder each winter, it’s still a challenge to get nice images. The Nikon 1 V3 with the AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR lens attached via the FT-1 Adapter really helps get close-ups with it’s 2.7 crop factor. My Nikon 1 V3 for Birds | a 7 Image Story post goes into some depth on using the Nikon 1 V3 for bird photography.
Robin Enjoying Snowfall Some Robins are hardy birds. They were my mom’s favorite bird. She called them Little Robin Red Breasts. She always thought spring would soon be upon us, if she saw a Robin in late winter. In those days, we did not see Robins stay all winter like we do now.
Male Red-bellied Woodpecker Seems like the red-bellied woodpecker should be called a red-headed woodpecker. Notice the rose coloring on a red-bellied woodpecker’s breast. When this species was first named, the red-headed woodpecker name was already used to name a different bird. The flighty Red-bellied Woodpecker brings bright colors and exciting action to bird feeders. Around here, only one bird, the Blue Jay, will chase the it from the feeder. They are attracted to bird feeders, near wooded areas, containing a bird mix including suet or sunflower seeds.
European Starling Eating Snow The Common Starling’s winter coat displays many colors as the winter light shines through it. Their feathers make a winter day more colorful. They are loud, boisterous, loud birds that travel large flocks.
Female Downy Woodpecker The Downy Woodpecker is really cute as they rapidly move up and down a tree. Capturing a close up becomes really difficult even with a long lens. Like many species of woodpecker, they have a rise and fall flight style. In the warmer months, they are really noisy with their shrill call and tree pecking.
Male Dark-eyed Junco Dark Eyed Juncos are common around here. They seem to like the nearby woodland areas as well as the bird feeder. Mostly, they feed on the ground under the bird feeder, then make their ticking calls as they fly up into the woods or bushes.
Blue Jay Profile The Blue Jay, a common songbird, is familiar to many in northern Illinois. Native to North America, at least some Blue Jays stay around all winter. They are very aggressive and sometime attack other birds. Still, they are beautiful against the snow. They mainly feed on nuts and seeds so they show up every day to the bird feeder; particularly, when snow covers the ground. Blue Jays are well known for their intelligence and tight family bonds. Thousands of Blue Jays migrate in flocks along the Great Lakes each year, but little is known about their migration. Young jays are more likely to migrate than adults, but adults also migrate. No one has determined why they migrate, when they migrate, or why some migrate while others do not.
Backyard Winter Birds | Male Cardinal Male Cardinals cheer us up during the winter months with their brilliant red body. Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a dull plumage, so they stay breathtakingly beautiful against winter’s snow. Northern Cardinals tend to sit low in shrubs and trees or forage on or near the ground, often in pairs.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Backyard Winter Birds.
Click any image below for a slide show.
Feb 15, 2019 | 7 Image Story Posts, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Daily Image 2019, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon 1 V3 for Birds, Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Nikon 1 V3 for Birds | Red-bellied Woodpecker Why not call the red-bellied woodpecker, a red-headed woodpecker instead? The red-headed woodpecker is actually a different bird. You might not have noticed the rose coloring on a red-bellied woodpecker’s breast. Whoever first named this bird must have had a strange sense of humor. Red-bellied Woodpeckers bring bright colors and exciting action to bird feeders. They are attracted to bird feeders, near wooded areas, containing a bird mix including suet or sunflower seeds. Birds like this Red-bellied Woodpecker can be challenging to capture even with a long, fast lens. They are very flighty and when disturbed, they tend to fly high into a tree before landing. The Nikon 1 V3 with the 70-300mm lens allows for a 810mm effective focal length. It’s a long, not so fast lens at f5.6, but a very sharp lens. For the whole story with all images, see Nikon 1 V3 for Birds | a 7 Image Story.
Jan 28, 2018 | 7 Image Story Posts, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Birds, Daily Image 2018, Nikon 1 V3, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Wildlife, Winter Birds by Feeder
Winter Birds by Feeder | Red-bellied Woodpecker Why not call the red-bellied woodpecker, a red-headed woodpecker instead? You might not have noticed the rose coloring on a red-bellied woodpecker’s breast. Whoever first named this bird must have had a strange sense of humor. Red-bellied Woodpeckers bring bright colors and exciting action to bird feeders. They are attracted to bird feeders, near wooded areas, containing a bird mix including suet or sunflower seeds. To see the entire story with all seven images, go to Winter Birds by Feeder | a 7 Image Story.
Jan 28, 2018 | 7 Image Stories, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Birds, Blue Jay, Cardinal, Faces, Junco, Mourning Dove, Nature, Nikon 1 V1, Nikon 1 V3, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Wildlife, Winter Birds by Feeder
Winter Birds by Feeder | a 7 Image Story Colorful winter birds cheer us up during the long, cold winter months. My bird feeder gets used heavily in the winter; particularly when show covers the ground. In fact, sometimes there’s so many birds, it seems like they need a control tower to direct air traffic. They do have their own version of “see and avoid.” The smaller birds give way to the larger ones on the feeder. Many just fly down to the ground beneath the feeder to get leftovers. When a Blue Jay arrives, all birds clear out or given it wide birth. Of course, many more than seven bird species visit the feeder during winter months. For this post, I’ve chosen some of the more colorful birds as well as the more frequent visitors. Perhaps, another post will be needed later.
First things first, why not call the red-bellied woodpecker, a red-headed woodpecker instead? You might not have noticed the rose coloring on a red-bellied woodpecker’s breast. Whoever first named this bird must have had a strange sense of humor. I’m not a birder so I don’t get it. Still, it’s call a red-bellied woodpecker. And, why are Blue Jays mean? Because they are. For that matter, why do some birds stick around for the winter while others leave to warmer climates? Experts tell us that birds can and do survive extremely harsh winters. The primary reason for migration is food. Some birds can forage for insects in the bark of trees and find enough other food to make it through the cold winter months. In fact, in some areas even a few American robins stay through the winter months.
Winter can be a difficult time to capture wildlife images particularly small birds. Sure fewer leaves on the trees make it a bit easier to capture an image of the species remaining. Getting close enough to the bird with a long lens still remains the biggest obstacle. Placing a bird feeder close to windows and doors make a big difference. Even then, shooting images through windows takes skill and post processing software. These seven images were captured with a 70-300mm lens, equivalent to 189-810mm using a 2.7 crop factor on the V1 & V3, at a distance between 5 and 15 feet. Little birds tend to have big lenses pointed at them.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Winter Birds by Feeder.
Click any image below for a slide show!
