Red-bellied Woodpecker

naturegirl-Thank you!! I don't know...I've had woodpeckers, Chickadees and Chipping Sparrows actually land ON me. I try to stand as still as possible and when I have to move or crouch down, do so very slowly. My presence doesn't seem to bother them as much as the camera noise, even on "Q" or quiet setting. It'll sound weird but I "talk" to all wildlife both in my head and out loud in a soft, soothing voice. I also thank them for allowing me to take their pictures. I'm not sure if its what I'm saying, how I'm saying it or my body language and eye contact while doing so but, it really seems to calm them. When I first start taking their images, I do so from a comfortable distance then very slowly step one step closer to them all the while taking pictures so they get used to the noise of my camera. There have been times I've stood stock still for over 30 minutes before the wildlife returns but when they do, they do in more numbers than I can photograph. There are also times when they're more interested in each other (mating) or the food (colder temperatures or approaching storms) than me. I try to take advantage of that without putting them in danger or in extreme discomfort by my nearness. I also shoot with a 55-300 mm lens which helps me get closer without entering their personal space. :-)))

Wow. That's so beautiful. How did you get such a close photo?

Marta RubioTexeira-Right?!! They love nothing more than a freshly sliced orange all year long but especially during the winter months. "-)

Noah Citizen-Thank you sooo much! :-) The original shot I took to show my parents the red belly from whence it got its name. "-)

LanaSutton-Thank you! :-)

"mine!" (he says, is his orange) :-)

Beautiful! You really took a great picture!

nice shot

KarenPuracan-Lower lighting conditions and closer proximity. The deep orange color of the fruit helps to warm the otherwise cold, winter-gray coloring overall and perhaps adds something to the red belly color as well...? This is the original image I took to show the red belly my parents could never see and thus the reason why they called their Red-bellied Woodpecker a red-headed Woodpecker. Once they saw this they understood the reason for its name and no longer made that easy mistake. It also helped when I finally got images of an actual Red-headed Woodpecker to show them... "-) Thank you!

hmtrevi-Thank you! :-)))

Thats the Red-belliedest Red Belly I've ever seen! Nice!

alicelongmartin-Not sure. Check the internet before putting out anything that could possibly be poisonous but I know ours love oranges and dive bomb any squirrel on a fresh one to get to them. My dad mistakenly brought up oranges that looked like oranges but smelled like grapefruit. Nothing wanted anything to do with them. Right now our oranges freeze within 10 minutes of putting them out side but they (woodpeckers and squirrels) still eat them down to the rind so frozen isn't a problem apparently.

YukoChartraw-Thank you! :-)))

Two Cans-Thank you! I hadn't either but noticed them on them in the spring/fall when I put them out for our Grey Cat Bird and Baltimore Orioles so I kept putting them out all winter. The Red-bellied Woodpeckers and a few squirrels love them but I also had a young Pileated Woodpecker coming to them too. We live in a very cold area of Minnesota. Perhaps the wildlife can adapt more easily when their food supply is scarce or harder to come by...? I've had American Robins eat peanuts, Blue Jays eat Beef Suet and mammals (chipmunks and squirrels) eat oranges so...go figure. I think they're called "opportunists". "-)

Nice capture!

Amazing, I did not know Red-bellied woodpeckers would eat oranges. Will they eat cranberries?

Stunning!

Cute! I've never seen one with an orange though.....