Woodpeckers

These are a unique classification of birds in that they "peck" and carve out holes in trees, called cavities. Typically woodpeckers create cavities to build nests in, however other birds have been known to use these cavity holes. You may commonly see smaller woodpeckers in your backyards climbing up and down trees, excavating for insects. Regardless, it is always a treat to see and hear their drumming.

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
Glen Helen Nature Preserve, Yellow Springs, Ohio "A woodpecker's drilling echoes to the mountain clouds." - Dakotsu Iida Ohio's smallest woodpecker, the downy may be hard to spot unless you look for their quick movements through the woodlands. Listen for their quick squeaks of a call as they scale the tallest trees available. Like most woodpeckers, the red crest is only on the males while the females lack that physical feature. Definitely a beautiful bird to me with the black and white spotted feathers. This image was demanding to be a square crop. Starting with the background, the out of focus tree is slanted which creates an almost dizzying effect. There is two white slivers of sky on both left and right that line up symmetrically. Top it all off with the contrast of the bird with its' head turned on the in-focus tree in the foreground. This was my first keeper photo of this small woodpecker and set a high standard for me to surpass. © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.
Red Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
Siebenthaler Fen, Beavercreek, Ohio © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.
Red Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
Siebenthaler Fen, Beavercreek, Ohio "And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." - William Shakespeare A more uncommon woodpeckers to spot, this red headed variety is often found at wetlands skulking the dead trees. Their call is a standout to me in that it sounds very hoarse and wheezy, like the bird has a sore throat. They're aren't too many wetlands left in the Buckeye State, so seeing this one at a local spot had me excited. It checked off another species for my life list! One would think that bright red would be obvious, however recent reports have shown their numbers will only be declining with time. The state of Ohio has several "very at risk" species for loss that specifically named this bird. For that reason, I am very fortunate to have spent a decent amount of time with this individual. © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) female
Glen Helen Nature Preserve, Yellow Springs, Ohio "A woodpecker's drilling echoes to the mountain clouds." - Dakotsu Iida Once you hear the maniacal call of this crow-sized woodpecker, it will stick with you forever. I find it hard to believe these large woodland birds are so shy and elusive given their showy plumage and boldness as they fly through the tree canopy. Regardless, this particular one I noticed would come back and again to this tree at the same spot. A bit of field observation went a long way when I zoomed in on that spot to see this tree cavity. Clearly this was a parent that I photographed, they would leave for a few minutes at a time to return yet again. I can only assume they had a clutch in that tree and were giving back food for them. I tried my best to get physically close to the tree without making the composition too drastically high up. At 600mm, I caught this special moment as the parent pokes its' head out once again. Ready to take another flight. © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) female
Siebenthaler Fen, Beavercreek, Ohio "Many critics are like woodpeckers, who, instead of enjoying the fruit and shadow of a tree, hop incessantly around the trunk, pecking holes in the bark to discover some little worm or other." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow One of my personal favorite birds made a loud and open appearance at my local corner of wetlands one late morning. Visit any woodland or area with dense trees and you may hear their maniacal bird call and loud machine-gun drumming. It is hard to believe this crow-sized bird can be considered shy and elusive when putting all these facts together! I enjoy the vertically driven composition of this woodpecker as it scales up this small dead tree looking for insects to feed on. A 1:1 square crop seemed fitting as it "locks" your eyes more on the bird than a 16x9 or 4x3. The overcast morning light meant that photographing it was even easier, as the I could meter and expose for the tree and bird without worrying about overexposing the sky in a washed-out white. Quite possibly one of my favorite bird photos. © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) female
Siebenthaler Fen, Beavercreek, Ohio "There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before.” - Robert Lynd A typical woodpecker of deep, mature forests and woodlands. These can be rather elusive and shy, which is odd given their crow-sized appearance and maniacal call typically given in flight. This particular individual was out in the open, on a dead tree out in a wetland. The closest looks with my camera yet, this beautiful bird is one of my favorites and a "spark" for my overall interest in birding. © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) female
Siebenthaler Fen, Beavercreek, Ohio "Even the woodpecker owes its success to the fact that he used his head." One of the stranger birds to grace Ohio's trees. A rather shy woodpecker, however it's maniacal call and showy red hairdo make it rather obvious to hear and spot. This crow-sized woodpecker has an impressive drumroll of a peck on the sides of trees. Look for oval-shaped cavities and large wood shavings below the holes at the ground floor. If they're intensely focused enough on searching for insects, you may get lucky with a close look or even a photograph! In this instance, this woodpecker was out in the open at the local fen as it moved up dead trees one by one. I managed to get a nice vantage point not too far away. Shooting handheld with my 150-600mm telephoto lens, the handful of images were tack sharp to my surprise. Various views of the bird such as perched here and soonafter clinging onto a tree made the day a success. © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

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