Pileated Woodpecker In Our Yard Today

This pileated woodpecker was in our yard for about half an hour today. Snapped the photo with a 500mm f8 Minolta lens on a Sony a6600 camera. Weather was 25 degrees, overcast and gloomy. Difficult getting a good photo of the bird without scaring it off.  We met my brothers Al & Ron, and sister Suzy for lunch at Jeb's Restaurant in Lowville. About an hours drive from our Chaumont house given the sloppy, winter road conditions. Son Troy and his girlfriend and couple others happened to be there too. 

Pileated Woodpecker at our Chaumont, NY home. 

Photos of Northern Flicker woodpeckers, Chaumont, NY

 

Northern Flicker woodpecker in my backyard, Chaumont, NY.

I present here today a couple photos of Northern Flicker woodpeckers that have been in our yard in Chaumont, NY. I really don't recall seeing these birds here before. I have learned they are quite common here in  the North Country. A friend who lives in Chippewa Bay on the St. Lawrence River says they are plentiful there. I shot the photos with a Minolta 500mm f8 lens, hand held, with a Sony a6600 camera. It was raining here today when I snapped these photos.  Camera settings were iso 2000, 1/200th sec shutter speed. All of the photos exhibit some motion blur and the focus is on the birds body rather than it's head. I also had to crop the photos quite a bit to zoom in on the birds. Today was the 3rd time that I had a camera close to try and photograph them. The seem to be skittish and fly off as soon as they sense my presence. 

Northern Flicker woodpecker in my backyard, Chaumont, NY.