Female downy woodpecker

Female downy woodpecker

Since hanging the suet feeder we’ve seen the downy woodpeckers every day. The male has a red patch on the back of his head; no red patch here, so this must be the female. I’m pretty sure we have at least two pairs of downy woodpeckers around, but I haven’t kept track or seen them enough to be positive.

The background of this photo is completely thrown out of focus; it puts a strong emphasis on the subject and really shows off the features on the bird’s chest. On the other hand, it gives absolutely no context to the photo: was this taken in my backyard or somewhere in the wild, or is it even a really well-done taxidermic presentation? What season is it? Is there snow on the ground? Less blur may be beneficial.

Now, that said, the thing I actually don’t like about the background blur is the color. A different color could offer more pop and be justification for why blurring the background completely was a good decision.

See the original on Flickr.