Year of the Woodpecker
by Brian E. Small
For me, 1995 was a frustrating year in terms of pursuing one of
my favorite photographic subjects. I spent many hours in various
locations around the United States searching for opportunities to
photograph woodpeckers but achieved little success. It seemed I
was always a little late or the conditions weren't right for
taking good pictures. In fact, one opportunity that I was told
was a sure thing didn't work out because the nest tree blew down
in a windstorm! Because 1995 was so frustrating, I was
determined to make 1996 my year for woodpecker photographs.
The woodpeckers are one of the most unique, interesting and
photogenic families of birds in the world. The vast majority of
woodpeckers are boldly patterned and almost every species has
some red on the head. Some species have complex social systems
and live in small communal groups. Also, they can be found on
every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Woodpeckers can
range in length from 3 inches to almost 24 inches of the
presumably extinct Imperial Woodpecker of north-central Mexico.
Woodpeckers are marvelous examples of evolution because their
bodies are perfectly adapted to fit a very specific niche in
nature. The feet of a woodpecker are particularly designed for
grasping, clinging and climbing on vertical surfaces. Their tail
feathers are extra stiff, allowing them to use the tail as a
brace against the side of a tree. Many species have an
exceptionally long tongue, which is barbed at the end that helps
to pull insects out of tree crevices. Of course the most
distinctive characteristic of a woodpecker is the ability to peck
and hammer with its chisel-like bill. The skull and bill of a
woodpecker are specially adapted to withstand all that pounding.
You might even remember one famous Northern Flicker that tried to
drill a hole into the side of the space shuttle!
I think what appeals to many birders about woodpeckers is that
they are "birder friendly". For one thing, almost every species
in the United States can be found at backyard feeders. Very
often a woodpecker can be easily photographed while it tries to
pry food out of a tree crevice. A bird may be so preoccupied
with what it's doing that it will pay little attention to your
close approach. Also, because they are cavity nesters, you can
easily observe them constructing their nests and raising their
young. There is nothing quite like the sight of 3 or 4 young
woodpeckers sticking their heads out of a nest cavity and begging
for food.
An obvious tip worth mentioning is that because woodpeckers spend
most of their lives in a vertical position, you most likely will
photograph them using a vertical format. By doing this, you
allow the subject more space in the frame of your photos.
However, if the opportunity for an unusual pose or action
sequence is there, don't hesitate to go horizontal. I suggest
you be selective, because at times photographing woodpeckers in a
horizontal format can be the photographic equivalent to putting a
square peg in a round hole.
One of the best ways I've learned to find woodpeckers is by
studying where and when they can be found, and what their nesting
cycles are. An excellent reference book called The Birders
Handbook by Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye has provided me a wealth of
information about the life histories of North American birds.
Information about what specific habitat a bird favors or how long
it's incubation and brooding periods are can be invaluable. Many
species of woodpecker are partial to one or two types of tree so
that you can narrow down where to look for them.
My woodpecker year began during a trip to south Florida in
mid-February. The nesting season starts early in this part of
the country so I thought I'd have an opportunity to get off to a
good start. Of course south Florida is famous for it's wonderful
concentrations of wading birds at this time of year so my first
stop was the famous Anhinga trail in Everglades National Park. I
began to walk the trail and not more than a hundred yards in, I
came upon 2 other photographers burning up film. Before reaching
them I thought they must have been photographing a beautiful
breeding-plumaged heron in close or maybe an alligator. To my
surprise, they were working on a Red-bellied Woodpecker that was
building a nest only 15 feet away at eye-level! The other
photographers invited me to join the action and I spent the rest
of the morning observing and photographing as the nest was being
constructed. This was a rare chance because the birds chose a
nest site so close to a trail walked by hundreds of visitors
every day. The woodpeckers were completely oblivious to the
presence of people walking by, not to mention 3 very excited
photographers. Sometimes luck has as much to do with getting a
great photo as anything else.
I was home in California by mid-March and planned on re-visiting
a Nutall's Woodpecker nest I photographed last year. I made a
crucial mistake in 1995 by not paying attention to the background
of my photos. Because the nest site was along a heavily shaded
streambed I underexposed the background and my pictures looked
like they were taken at night. Remember that photographs of
birds that are not nocturnal, but have a black background, tend
to look over-flashed and unnatural. With that in mind, this year
I attempted to photograph the Nutall's at an angle that put a
blue sky behind my subject. It worked out well and I learned a
very important lesson to always be conscious of what's behind the
subject. Sometimes you're attention is so focused on
photographing the bird that you can loose sight of the whole
picture.
April in Texas is famous for spring migration; however, the
beginning of nesting season should not be overlooked. Many
resident species, including at least 10 species of woodpecker,
can be found nesting in Texas. This huge state offers a wide
variety of habitats where you will want to search for
woodpeckers. I spent my time this spring checking feeders in the
Rio Grande Valley for Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, searching the
forests north of Houston for the endangered Red-cockaded
Woodpecker and in the Big Thicket country of east Texas looking
for Pileated Woodpeckers.
At a spectacular Pileated nest site I photographed, I saw the
adult woodpeckers being attacked for food by the soon-to fledge
nestlings. The adult birds had to feed them by cautiously
creeping around to the side of the nest hole from the back of the
tree. This way, the adults could keep their distance from the
aggressive youngsters and still feed them. After speaking with a
number of other birders, I discovered this is a common behavior.
Also, remember that if you go to the Big Thicket, that this area
was once home to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Be sure to check
all those Pileated's closely!
An excellent strategy I can recommend for finding woodpeckers is
to be a careful and patient observer. In other words, a good
birder. You know that woodpeckers are cavity nesters, so while
you are out for general birding, try to be aware of any nest
holes or dead snags you come across. Many woodpeckers will use
the same tree year after year and be aware that some species will
nest only 3 feet off the ground! Another benefit of searching
for woodpecker nest cavities is the chance to stumble across
other species using an abandoned hole. Woodpeckers may drill a
number of holes a year and obviously can't use them all, so they
end up providing a service by creating homes for other cavity
nesting birds. I have observed and photographed Mountain
Bluebirds, Western Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, Pygmy Nuthatches,
Ash-throated Flycatchers, Brown-crested Flycatchers, House Wrens
and many others using old woodpecker holes.
This May I found and photographed a Williamson's Sapsucker nest
by checking lots of dead trees in the mountains of southern
California. As you would expect, by spending 6-8 hours a day
observing a nest site, I was able to learn quite a bit about this
species' behavior. For example, how long the male would spend in
the hole versus the female. Which bird would feed the young
more often and what calls were used by the adults when
approaching the nest tree? It's important to remember that if
you want to attempt photography at a nest, you must maintain a
safe working distance from the location. You don't want to do
anything that would disturb the woodpeckers' normal nesting
activities at this sensitive time. I always use a blind to
conceal my presence, stay as far back from the nest as possible
and never photograph on consecutive days.
June and July were the most productive months of my woodpecker
year because in many parts of the country, this is the peak of
nesting season. In mid-June I drove to the American Birding
Association convention in Park City, Utah. With over 600
enthusiastic birders out in the field, it was not long before
reports of photographable woodpeckers came in. In one location I
was able to work on a Red-naped Sapsucker and a Northern Flicker
that were nesting within 20 feet of each other. The flicker nest
was at eye-level in a dead snag while the sapsucker nest was 25
feet up in a live aspen tree. The birds didn't show any signs of
competition at the time I was there. In fact they ignored each
other. Perhaps this was due to the altitudinal difference in
their respective nest holes or maybe they had some other
previously settled dispute. Whatever the case, it's fun to
speculate.
Both opportunities required the use of fill-flash because I could
only photograph the birds in dappled light. By using just a
touch of flash, you can cut out harsh shadows on your subject
while maintaining an evenly lit background. I have seen
woodpecker holes completely in the open in a dead snag and also
in complete shade in a live tree. Different lighting conditions
like these can make for some challenging photographic
circumstances. You invariably want to try and photograph so
there is no more than a 1-stop difference in the amount of light
on the subject and on the background. By doing this, your
photographs will look more natural and have an even distribution
of light.
My plan for July was to do a trip along the eastern slope of the
Sierra Nevada with a run through Yosemite National Park in search
of Black-backed Woodpeckers and Red-breasted Sapsuckers.
Unfortunately, I ran into a freak summer snowstorm that kept me
out of the higher elevations so I never did catch up with a
Black-backed. However, I did come across an outstanding area for
the sapsucker in the aspen groves of Mono County. Within a
two-mile stretch of road, I found 6 active Red-breasted Sapsucker
nests, including a number at eye-level or below.
By early August, most nesting activity is done except for those
birds that got a late start or are raising a 2nd brood. I headed
for one of my favorite areas of central Oregon in search of some
of these late-nesting woodpeckers. A little to my surprise, I
found two excellent photo opportunities. The first was a
White-headed Woodpecker coming to bathe and drink at a spring.
However, not only did I get frame-filling photos of the
woodpecker, but other visitors to the spring that included Red
Crossbills, Mountain Bluebirds, Clark's Nutcrackers, Cassin's
Finches, Western Tanagers, Chipping Sparrows and Pinyon Jays. I
set-up my blind and a dual-flash system and waited for them to
land on strategically placed perches.
The second chance was a beautiful Lewis' Woodpecker nest only 15
feet up in a ponderosa pine. My Birders Handbook said they might
nest as high as 100 feet and that Lewis' tend to be nomadic and
hard to pin down, so I felt very lucky to stumble on an
accessible nest-site. I photographed the adults feeding the
nestlings by using my trusty Fresnel-flash system. That way I
kept a safe distance and still projected my fill-flash far enough
to reach the action.
September and October can offer you the chance to see and
photograph some woodpeckers as they leave their mountain nesting
grounds in search of food at lower and warmer elevations. You
should keep an eye out for all four of our North American
sapsuckers as they visit sap wells they've drilled in previous
years. I've photographed many birds at this time of year just by
patiently waiting at active sap wells. The sap and insects
attracted to it also provide food for a number of birds other
than the sapsuckers. I've seen Ruby-throated and Anna's
Hummingbirds, Yellow-rumped Warblers and even chipmunks feeding
at sapsucker wells. The sapsuckers will often defend their food
source from these intruders, so you may get a chance for some
good action photos. Photographing at sap wells is another great
way to test out your newest lens on a woodpecker preoccupied with
what it is doing and to observe how woodpeckers provide a
"service" for other birds.
The winter months are a great time to set-up one of those
backyard photo studios you've read about in the pages of WildBird
(see March '96). Downy, Hairy, and Red-headed Woodpeckers along
with Northern Flickers are some of the most reliable feeder
visitors. Just make sure you provide a regular food source (suet
and peanut butter are favorites) and an attractive perch for your
subjects. Because you can control your backyard set-up, you have
a great chance to experiment with your photographs. Try using
different perches, backgrounds or lighting conditions. Also, you
may want to photograph the birds at a nice clean feeder. Your
backyard would also be a great place to experiment with one of
those light-beam shutter releases. I have yet to try one, but I
know they can provide dramatic photos of birds in mid-flight.
Just check out that winning Wood Duck photo in this year's
WildBird photo contest (October '96).
I enjoy photographing all birds but the woodpeckers are certainly
near the top of my list. They are active, animated birds that
you can find all over the country in a variety of habitats. So
the next time youčre headed to a mountain, desert or woodland,
keep an ear open for the familiar drumming of a woodpecker. You
just might get hooked on woodpecker photography like me.
Brian E. Small
Phone: 310/440-9443
Mobile: 310/849-0306
E-mail: BSmallFoto@aol.com
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