2.22.2008

Bedraggled

Are you participating in the 30-day Sit Spot Challenge? I am and today's sit was indeed a challenge. Cold rain was falling and most critters were hunkered down - except for the birds. Birds are optimists. They were out there singing spring songs despite the nasty weather. They were also busy scratching out a living. The downy woodpecker pictured below was intent on pulling delicacies out of the seed pods of trumpet creeper.

Fully-fogged-lens shot...
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Hastily-wiped-off-lens shot with contrast corrected...
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Check out that tail.


(Need something to browse on a rainy day? Check out the Origami Page. I find myself being seriously envious of this guy's paper-folding prowess.)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nasty weather? *Nasty*? Heh, we've had Class Five fire alerts in *February*. This is dreamy heavenliness. And don't you have peat fires in need of extinguishing?

I'm delighted to see that downy going after trumpet creeper. I've been documenting our vines here and wondered what good all those pods were. Very cool!

Funny, but I spent a couple of weeks on the origami page a year ago and though I made a penguin I realized I was sadly not cut out for it.

swamp4me said...

Wayne,
The rain is welcome, but it's still nasty weather when you work outside :)

The peat fire continues to burn. Forestry has it down to an area of less than 300 acres now. Maybe if we get a couple of days of precip the fire will be out within a week or two.

Meanwhile, hope you guys get some rain your way.

swamp4me said...

That last line should read: Meanwhile, hope you guys continue to get some rain your way.

Cathy said...

Very sweet.

Tom Arbour said...

Great action shot of this guy getting a few Campsis seeds. I've never noticed birds in my backyard trying to get at our ornamental Campsis, but now I'll be on the lookout.

Tom

swamp4me said...

cathy,
Glad you like it.

tom,
There is a pyralid moth, Clydonopteron tecomae whose larvae feed on and pupate in the seedpods. So, in addition to the seeds, the downy may have been getting a little protein snack as well.