Drumming

The unmistakable sound of a woodpecker drumming overhead sent me scurrying to locate the source. Often now the leaves leave me guessing, but not today. This downy woodpecker was on a dead ash looking for the emerald ash borer beetle that gave rise to the tree's demise.

As can be seen, a layer of bark had been pecked away allowing access to the insects beneath. I assume the mission was successful because the bird spent quite some time in one spot.

This was a difficult image to process having underexposed by a stop because of the bright sky and I was pleased how it turned out. I really want to remove the foreground twig, but having upgraded to Photoshop 2023 to use the new remove tool, I don't have the option to "edit in" on the menu. Will have to investigate.