Education about flickers, the pics and the challenge

 



Northern flickers, a type of woodpecker, are one of my favorite birds to watch. There are two types: the red-shafted and yellow-shafted (or yellow hammer for the noises it makes pecking on woody surfaces). The 'shaft' refers to the material that reinforces the wing. Flying overhead, the red northern flickers' beautiful orangish-red undercarriage is visible as well as the orange and blue feathers. The birds alternate between wing flapping and gliding, gaining and losing altitude. The flickers are abundant in the Alameda Open Space year round. There are two ways I primarily see these birds: the first is by sound, a rat-a-tat on a tree or a piercing yelp that it makes. The second is by movement. Really great shots of these woodpeckers have eluded me, however. The picture on the bottom illustrates what I normally see. You may not even see the pair of flickers in the tree. (hint: Locate the 'v' on the left side of the tree, then look just to the right.) The top picture was recently taken (the same day that I saw the eagle in flight) and one of the closest pictures of them that I have taken. Why is getting a good shot so difficult? First, you must have right lens at the right time. Secondly, flickers don't sit for long. The settings on your lens and camera must be set in advance, ready to shoot a moment's notice. Flickers also tend to favor being on the shady side of trees, so catching them in good light is difficult.  Rarely do you see flickers up close, the picture on the bottom is a good representation of what is normally seen. That picture enlarged would be beautiful, but it's at the upper limit of the focal length of the lens I had on this particular day, and the shot becomes pixelated as you enlarge it. My larger birding/wildlife lens may have been a better choice at more than double the focal length but the lens is very heavy (at 9 pounds) and when attached to the camera, hand-holding the lens these days is tough. Even the slightest movement of the camera affects the focus when using suce a large lens.  So my challenge to get THE shot continues and this quest expands my knowledge and experience.  All good.



Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA

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