Wednesday, April 22, 2009

All dressed up and no where to go...

I know, for me, capturing a decent picture of the Northern Flicker in my lens is quite a challenge, always flitting, always on the move, always out of range. Today, however, I was looking for the Great Horned owl and her owlets but with no success when those yellow tail feathers of the flicker caught my eye. I have tried before to capture this guy as he swooped through the sky flying as if he had the hiccups. Flapping and then gliding....and as you would expect... always going AWAY from me.
...but this time, he landed not too far from where I was quietly standing...in a thicket of trees and pines. I don't think he noticed I was there, as he started to preen himself...shaking and ruffling all those colorful feathers... as if he was getting himself ready to go out and find that special someone!! hmmm.. tis, that time of year!!
..it's not easy reaching all those areas that need attention...
and just when I thought he had it all together..feathers fluffed, clean and pretty, that suave look upon his face...
...he went to sleep! Lol, I only stayed another ten minutes or so but when I left he was still perched on that branch... all dressed up but with no where to go. Shhhhh.

25 comments:

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

All that work makes a young man tired.You did get some great shots.
Blessings,Ruth

Marsha said...

This photo story was just too cute. I loved the hard to reach shot and the fact that he fell asleep on you ;} I really enjoyed this post.

Shelley said...

Something so sweet about seeing him sleep! Too cute!!! Loved all these photos!

Craig Glenn said...

Great shots Tina! I have never seen one of those guys.

Craig Glenn

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Oh what a beauty.. Looked to me that Mr. Flicker had a hot date!!!!! He was just "WAITIN' on a WOMAN" (as Brad Paisley sings).... HA HA

Hugs,
Betsy

Kelly said...

...a wonderful series! Loved the one where he was fluffed up and also when he finally fell asleep...

Philip said...

I am sure he will find someone eventualy not for the lack of trying nice shots Tina

Eve said...

All that work tuckered him out Tina! Great sneaky job!

George said...

You got great pictures of that Northern Flicker. Do you think he got bored with you watching him? Hopefully he had a big date after his nap.

FAB said...

All that effort for nothing..that's life. Lovely series Tina.

Anonymous said...

I wish we had those around here but we don't.

Thanks for visiting my birds blog.

Leedra said...

Nice shots. Love the header photo.

Leedra’s Photos For FunLeedra’s Greeting CardsPhotography By Leedra

Mary said...

Tina. I'm tired and silly. This post is exactly what I need tonight. Poor handsome dude...

I miss visiting - give me time? I hope to get back to normal blog reading in a few weeks!

Thanks for the giggles tonight,


Mary

Dawn Fine said...

Nice photo series Tina..I clicked on each photo to enjoy them more...and when I clicked on the last one and saw his eyes closed..i smiled..that was precious!
Your header is amazing..did you take that photo?

Tina said...

Thanks everyone for taking the time to visit..always love to hear from you and always love to visit your blogs as well.

Dawn, Glad you enjoyed this post..I know I enjoyed taking these pics..he was quite entertaining! I did take the pic of the wood duck used in my header..my first look at a real live wood duck!!! What a surreal creature, he looks like a Disney creation!!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Tina: I have one behind the house in the woods and it leaves every time I approach. Your photos are really nice.

troutbirder said...

I can't believe this. I saw a wild turkey do exactly the same thing yesterday out in the middle of a picked corn field. Then tucked his head down and went to sleep!

Craig Glenn said...

Hi Tina, just wanted to pop in and say thanks for visiting today and leaving your kind comment. I just posted a new photo of the red-bellied woodpeckers eating the oranges. I was able to capture both the male and female in one shot. I hope you get a chance to stop by and see them!

Craig Glenn

Neal said...

As usual, more great shots Tina.

Chris said...

Hi Tina,
It looks like I was almost missing this message. I have a tendency to traust my blog list roll on the blog, but it happens more and more that it is not accurate. These flickers are awesome really, I would like to see them. To asnwer your question about the plover, there are about 28 cm, so jsut a little bit bigger than a snipe.

The Birdlady said...

Good for you!

Rajesh said...

Beautiful snaps and the effort is definitely worth. The last snap is great.

Dave's Bird Watching Blog said...

Wow...never seen a wild bird asleep like that! You always tell a story so well, Tina. Definitely good with your bird yarns!

Unknown said...

Beautiful series on this beauty. The last image where its eyes are closed is cute.

Peggy said...

Beautiful lighting! Perfect!

would like to hear your thoughts..