A Downy Woodpecker was busy gathering a meal on a dead branch.
He scraped some kind of insects off the back side, then peaked down into the end.
He sat a moment while looking for his next stop.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
April 14, 2026
The top of this dying pine tree behind our house snapped off during a storm a couple of years ago. IÂ often can see bird movement around the jagged top and now that some nearby trees have dropped their leaves several holes are visible on the sides.
I heard this Pileated Woodpecker working away and was fortunate the sun was highlighting his activity.
Even with me watching he kept at it.
When he went around the other side of the tree I got a pretty good view of his handiwork.
SC, Backyard
November 17, 2025
OM System OM 1 Mark II
OM System 100-400mm lens
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC
October 19, 2025
Canon 18-200mm lens, replacement, used–first time out. Taken at 200mm.
Driving across the dike into Donnelley WMA I heard several Red-headed Woodpeckers and finally spotted one.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 5, 2025
As usual with a Pileated Woodpecker I heard him before I spotted him.
And also fitting the norm, he was pretty high above me.
He did take a few turns around this branch before moving on, giving me a decent opportunity for photographs.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
May 7, 2025
The wooded area around the Cypress Wetlands wading bird rookery is rife with other birds, including several species of Woodpecker. I heard this Downy Woodpecker doing his thing, then saw him working this branch, round and round.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
May 7, 2025
We got all the way back to our car before spotting a pair of Sandhill Cranes at Orlando Wetlands. They were pecking in the leaf debris in the walkway to the old office building.
Orlando Wetlands, Christmas, FL
February 11, 2025
A Red-bellied Woodpecker clung to the bottom of a branch as he poked around, and took a break for a profile shot.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
December 20, 2024
This rooster, or one that looks just like him, has been roaming the barnyard at Middleton Place for several years. I spotted hanging out in the roots of a Live Oak tree as a few sheep wandered around him.
Middleton Place
December 19, 2024
I have often seen a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drill holes in a tree to release sap, or at least heard one doing it. They tend to be methodical, going round and round a tree limb. This was the first time I had watched one revisiting his drilled holes to feast on the flowing sap. A small joy of being in winter with no leaves on the trees to block such a view.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
December 12, 2024
