imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Thank you Mac - appreciate !

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Thanks Haydon ! .........the link has helped.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Thanks Geff ! ........I am hoping to get some predictable opportunities around their nest site - maybe in flight ! ( I can dream can't I ?) :-)

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

I am sure that you will get them, you know that they won't leave those chicks for long.

Keldon Loc: Yukon, B.C.

Camo means nothing to a bird, it's movement that bothers them. Move slowly or not at all and any bird will eventually accept you.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

GREAT SHOT! Put a frame around this one. >Alan

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Excellent photo of a beautiful bird.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Interesting thing about starlings, if you have a lawn and they have taken up residence near by, there must be a good food supply for them. Starlings love eating grubs and grubs love eating grass roots. The Starlings may be trying to save your lawn. When the food supply is gone, so will the Starlings.

Sylvias Loc: North Yorkshire England

The download is stunning Larry! Great capture. :thumbup: :thumbup: :D

Leicaflex Loc: Cymru

It most certainly a good darn shot.
Nicely timed and well taken.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Miester, that's a beautiful shot of a beautiful bird!
In my area I have in the past shot acorn woodpeckers. Probably a lot of what I do will transfer directly to your birds. Mine are very skittish. I shoot mine in a wild-land park so I can't go off trail/road so have never actually found a nest. The nests are not near the trails. My birds store acorns in the bored holes in the dead trees and that is where I can get to them. Those trees are called granary trees and can contain thousands of acorns. The birds will take turns guarding the acorns from bluejays. That's when I get the opportunity to shoot them.
My birds will absolutely not stay in the trees if they see me approach even with camo on. What I have to do is sneak up quietly and set up. I use a small three legged folding stool and a tripod. BUT, I can't sit there with just camo on, or no bird will approach. I also carry a sheet with a flower print pattern that I throw over myself. As soon as I'm not recognizable as a person the birds immediately start coming back to the granary tree.
I've had the best luck at sun-up. I now have the equivalent of a camo sheet but have not used it yet. I think it will work very well for all wildlife.
About an hour or two after sunrise the activity really slows down. The morning also has very good light, with the light getting better, not worse like late evening. I never shoot evening.
I also took a ten foot ladder one day but didn't have very good luck with it. I think it has huge potential though but you have to be where you can drive pretty close to get the ladder there. It's hard to get very close because the trees can be pretty big, hence the ladder. I also use a FF so a 400 with 1.4 is not near long enough!
I'll try and post a shot but not sure I can do that from my phone!
I did shoot a starling best one day and the mother was feeding the babies about every 5 minutes for at least an hour. She had a very steady source of grubs/bugs. Young in that nest you shot would be spectacular.
Great, I was successful posting from my phone! Good luck with those woodpeckers !! ;-)
SS

Acorn Woodpecker guarding granary tree

(Download)

dalcar Loc: Indiana

How cam you tell it is a male.

cmc4214 Loc: S.W. Pennsylvania

There is one that visits my mothers bird feeder in winter . It is very skittish, any movement at all and it is gone. I was thinking of using a hunting blind, I've read that if you set it up a couple days ahead of time the birds (or any other animal) will get used to it. I realize this might not be possible in a public area

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Great shot! We have them returning to a tree right in front of the house every year. They're digging for food, not housing. They make a lot of noise, big holes in the trees, and the holes eventually close up.

papakatz45 Loc: South Florida-West Palm Beach

I also spend many hours in Riverbend Park. Great place for birds and other critters.