11-22-2023
Red-headed Woodpecker before feeding nestlings insects
Here in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula Red-headed Woodpeckers have been rare. Occasionally in early to mid-May one might visit a feeder and move on. But 2 years ago, many people let me know they had one visit for a few days in early May during a cold stretch. And I found a juvenile in an opening adjacent to an appropriate nesting forest in late July that year. So, I suspected they might have begun nesting in greater numbers.
This past season (2023) I found 2 nesting areas, at least 20 miles from that location. At each one a bird perched very visibly on a telephone pole in a farmer’s field, adjacent to a mature forest, which prompted me to stop my van and take a look. At one location I found a pair gathering insects and returning to feed nestlings in the forest. And there I also found another individual close by, who may have nested as well. With permission of the owner of the private property, I found the nest easily, as the adults would return often.
The other nesting location was very similar but 10 miles away, and the mature forest was only about 5 acres big, behind a farmer’s home. I talked with him about the bird, and he was aware of its presence and that he had never seen it before. It was later in the season (early August) at that point, but I was certain that bird was feeding mobile fledged young within the small forest, after binocular observation for a while.
It will be interesting to see if the first location, which has a large tract of continuous forest, will end up having a loose colony of nesting birds. I will monitor it next spring.
Adult gathering insects; it also gathered berries at the forest edge
The forest is on the western side of a north/south back road that has a large hay field on the east side – the perfect location for unobstructed morning light. Enough light to target flight images.
The takeoff from a perch is the most probable situation to yield good results.
The advanced capabilities of modern autofocus systems, high frame rate (20 fps or greater), and reasonably high ISO capability, when combined with a high quality lens, makes the effort to capture smaller birds in flight a reasonable proposition. But finding the right situation, and recognizing that it IS right, is absolutely necessary. That is what I do for clients at workshops, and these Red-headed Woodpeckers are close to my target areas for certain warblers and Scarlet Tanagers, during my spring warbler workshops.
I also teach clients the correct camera and lens settings for the anticipated action, as well as behavioral clues which often precede quick action.