Ladies and gentlemen, we got him!
It has not been easy to get a photograph of this male Great Spotted Woodpecker. Ever since I’ve opened the doors of my forest feeding station, I’ve heard it around but never got a glimpse of it. I guess it was not in need of any assistance of the edible kind.
With the complete forest covered by a layer of snow for about a week now, food resources have become very scarce. That must have tempted the woodie to get closer to the feeders. Friday, I saw it patrol the surrounding oaks and pines. Very shy, never closer than about 30 meters and up high. Every now and then, it would fly/dive towards the food but make a very sudden u-turn just before arrival. Possibly just a safety check.
Saturday, things changed. Towards the end of the afternoon, its empty belly must have taken over control of its movements. Still very aware of every sound and movement, it flew onto the feeders and even stayed there for a while. I hardly dared to move the lens a few centimeters for a better composition.
As the sun could just peek through the dense spruce trees, I got a nice warm ray of light on the woodpecker. The background was still in full shade. The blue tones contrast nicely with the warm glow on the woodie.
Great Spotted Woodpecker; Canon 1D Mark III w. 500/4 IS; 1/320s at F5,6 and ISO 400; Tripod from permanent hide
