Tag Archives: Downy Woodpecker female

MISTY MORNING RAIN

Heading out early this morning I didn’t have great expectations of capturing pond wildlife.  How wrong I was! Misty rain softly billowing across the pond, beautiful orb weaver spider webs ornamented with pearls of dew, Red-winged Blackbirds chortling, a female Downy Woodpecker foraging adjacent to a web and, surprise of all, a Glossy Ibis flew up from the marsh. I wasn’t expecting to see the Ibis and my camera was set for filming small creatures but I caught the tail end of the flight.

We mostly notice orb spider webs in the summer and fall because the webs are larger however, the spiders begin weaving webs as soon as they appear in spring.

Tappity, Tap, Tap, Tap

Standing perfectly still while filming during yesterday’s gloriously warm afternoon, a beautiful female Downy Woodpecker flew to a tree not five feet from where I was working. She was very much obscured by foliage as she tapped her way up and down the trunk, turning the tree into a pantry for her winter supply of nuts and seeds. For a quicksilver moment I caught a clear look and snapped a shot through the leaves.

Downy Woodpeckers are common on Cape Ann throughout all four seasons.