As I sit down to write this, my little Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) is right outside the door to my cabin, here in the Wind River Canyon.  The beautiful little female has been around for many weeks now, and I see her many times every day; she was the subject of last week's Wind River Canyon Blog.  I don't mean to get all emotional about this, Downy Woodpecker_female, Wind River Canyon, Wyoming.Downy Woodpecker photographed in the Wind River Canyon, Wyoming. but she makes my heart beat a little faster whenever I see her; she's beautiful and free, what could possibly be better than that?

     Last week I stopped by the local hardware store (11 miles away-nice ride though), and bought a suet-block for our little woodpecker.  She really likes it and it's a joy to see her eat breakfast while I enjoy my Starbucks; it's good I'm stocked up on both.  They're not expensive, and I highly recommend a suet-block if you have woodpeckers in your neighborhood.  Getting to spend time with a Downy Woodpecker is a rare treat, even in Wyoming.   

     Then it dawned on me the other day----you know, that tiny light suddenly went on.  I should be shooting some video of this woodpecker; take advantage while Mother Nature provides such an opportunity.  This wasn't going to be easy at all; like me, she can't sit still for long.  I wanted a real up-close and personnel video clip.  Packing up the old monster tripod, and the longest lens setup (300 f/4 and 1.4 extender), I headed out into the cold mountain air.  Figuring around half a minute of screen time would be what to aim for....I got to work.

     As it turned out, she made a good model and the afternoon light was good.  Spending as much time observing her as I've had, she allowed me to get as close as I dared with the black spider-like rig.  In post I added some saturation, and after some editing for jiggle, I had twenty-four seconds of a gorgeous Downy Woodpecker video from the Wind River Canyon; enjoy her rare beauty.   Downy Woodpecker video_female, Wind River CanyonVideo of a Downy Woodpecker female in the Wind River Canyon, Wyoming.      I like that she doesn't look directly at me, or even notice I'm alive; her screen exit is unique, that's for sure.  What she is looking at is a mystery.  My fantasy is she finds a boyfriend next year....keep your fingers crossed!

*Photography, videography and writing by Michael John Balog - Hogbats Photography, Wind River Canyon, in the heart of Wyoming.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.