Threading the Needle

After a dentist appointment, I decided to ride along with my husband on his trip to a local lake, where he was going for a run.  I walked with my camera on a slippery, muddy path finding nothing much to photograph.  So when we got home I stationed my tripod on the patio, and waited for something to happen.  The feeder birds were active, but the sound of a Pileated Woodpecker caught my attention.  Sure enough, there he was, far in the distance between trees.  I wouldn't have noticed him without that stunning red crest.  I had to manually focus in due to the busy setting, and even at that it was tough to avoid branches.
Thank you for your lovely comments about my resident foxes. Yesterday morning they were playing in the yard, but the light was poor, especially for an action shot, so I didn't even bother.  Maybe next time.