This image was taken exactly one week after my previous image posting of what I believe to be the same red-shafted flicker but in another dead tree trunk about 10 meters away from the previous one. I sort of hung around the general area for about half an hour with my dog Gracie trying to get a close-up of a Wilson's warbler. She's a real trooper when I'm taking photos. She'll stay back 20 feet or so and be real still when I give her the old pointing finger to the lips quiet signal. He,and we know this because of it's red moustache, had barely poked his head out twice during that time and then would disappear to continue tapping inside. I'm surprised it didn't take off as I got pretty close and to do so had to bend a few branches and tramp(quietly)around a bit so I could get a clear view of the opening. Getting tired of waiting,like the dweeb I am I thought I'd press a bit and say hello. Nothing. So I began saying things like "hi there",and "how ya doing?",and actually had to raise and deepen my voice before he decided to see what the problem was. When he finally came up for a look he stayed in the opening for about half a minute before getting tired of my intrusion and flew off to a nearby tree to wait me out. You can't see it clearly at this zoom but I'm pretty sure that there's some kind of insect larva attached to the underside of it's beak. When I zoomed in enough I could make out what looked like separate ringed abdomen segments. The reflection I could see in his eye of the outside world gave me the idea for the title.
11 Comments
Karie Goffic 25 Oct 2008
awesome photo!Ai Shan 28 Jul 2008
So beautiful photo!David Mask 12 May 2008
Great shot.Emily Reed 11 May 2008
AWESOME BIRD PHOTO! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!patrick hodson 11 May 2008
lovely close image,nice focus.jamie winter 11 May 2008
wow what an awesome shot. incredibleWarren Ballard 11 May 2008
Magnificent capture, really beautiful!Joke Schotting 11 May 2008
AWESOME SHOT MOCHAEL!!Mirek Antoniewicz 11 May 2008
Michael:) beautifulAqua1955 11 May 2008
Great capture!Sharon Gonzalez 11 May 2008
Wonderful shot, Michael!