I photographed this woodpecker in Peace Valley, my frequent weekend haunt. On our way out, we heard this bird knocking away at a tree trunk. It wasn’t persistent though – constantly moving about up and down and around the tree trunk. The app I use to identify birds – Merlin Bird ID – wasn’t able to give me a perfect ID on this specimen. It said this was either a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker or a Downy Woodpecker or a Hairy Woodpecker. From photos online, the Hairy Woodpecker seemed closest.
A Hairy Woodpecker @ Peace Valley | D7200, Nikkor 200-500mm | 1/800, f/6.3 @ ISO 450
Technically the photo came out well – it’s correctly exposed and the bird is sharp. Overall though it isn’t a keeper – the blurred out branch in the right foreground is too distracting.
