bird 4

downy woodpecker
picoides pubescens

a cold and grey day when i awoke. no desire to venture far. i ambled out on the porch at the sight of some crows. they are so skittery - missed them. tried for one of the ubiquitous chickadees. they are much harder to capture than i imagined. i have many shots of empty branches and blurred feathers.

finally, a most accommodating gentleman appeared - a downy woodpecker. i knew he was a gentleman by the red patch on the back of his head. from what i can tell, woodpeckers do not travel in a crowd. i can relate. they aren't overly aggressive. they're just all-around good citizens of the bird kingdom. a privilege to photograph.

here's to you, mr. downy. you've made my day.