unusual woodpecker visited us today!

This is a bird-hunting post!

The title says it all: unusual woodpecker visited us today. It is 'Dendrocopos major' (Большой пестрый дятел in Russian), to be precise. There are 7 species of woodpeckers around, but i have seen only this one. Last winter we made a tele-walk with my baby and were lucky to shoot this bird in the local park, and now, at my village site, it is the 2nd time I meet and shoot this bird. It is not that rare... but definitely not the one you meet every day on regular basis.

Actually, he spent pretty much time on our lawn. Thats where I noticed him. I happily stepped back to the house, and equipped the camera with my 70-300mm telephoto lens...

He let me come close enough, but I didnt understand what did he was obsessed with there... maybe, he wanted to divercify his larvae and beetles menu with some fresh strawberries? or is it sounds like a fantasy.

I started clicking the shutter and didnt notice that I have unsuitable manual settings left from previous macro session. So, I shamelessly overexposed half of the pics. Still saved something from the .raw files to show you, not that excellent, but curious.

On this capture I noticed that he closes his eyes while doing his job -- maybe, it happens on the peak of extasy? I dunno is this rare or typical, does anyone have seen it in their birding sessions?.. curious.

His 'closed eyes' are even more vivid and noticeable on the other pic.

---

Cropped and unresized version of same frame.

---

Two times I tried to come at even closer distance, that 2-3 metres, and both times he stepped back: firstly from the lawn to a near-standing birch tree, and then, to a more distant aspen. At this point I've made a dozen stereotype captures and it turned out I will not be allowed to a closer distance... So, I made this last frame and rounded up!

---

I paused contributing to the f-f community recently; I just dont make fresh pics, I am all into macro photography right now (when I have a spare time and good lighting -- most of the time I have rain, and a showel in my hands, instead of a camera, hehe. I like to work with a shovel, too!).

And I also have to note, that 'wild' birds dont have this faith in men like the city birds do, and tend not to let anyone come closer... they hide at the trees' crowns at a safe distance, and there's nothing to be done here, my 300mm tele doesnt work against them... Oh, and no impressive biodivercity: magpies, blackbirds, finches... and probably thats all.

location:	Russian countryside	July 2020	natural lighting
camera/lens:	Canon 350D	70-300mm	raw-conv.
f 6.3	t 1/400	ISO 200	---