Drama at the suet basket

[RVT1K]

Sometimes the birds take turns and sometimes they don't...
A female red-bellied woodpecker (a.k.a. Bride of Clucky) and an unnamed Hairy woodpecker.
I like how the Hairy woodpecker wound up inverted.

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[K9Kirk]

Cool set, love the action shots! Those hairy woodpeckers really know how to "strike a pose."

 

[zombiesniper]

Great set.

Always nice to get some action.

 

[RVT1K]

Cool set, love the action shots! Those hairy woodpeckers really know how to "strike a pose."

Thanks.

We also get Downy woodpeckers at the feeder and they have been a brawling bunch lately! Two got into such a huge fight that they both, while in a swirling ball of squawks and feathers, hit the ground with a loud thump only to fly back up and continue fighting. Nope, no pictures of that action.

 

[jcdeboever]

I call those crack baskets... nice set.

 

[PJM]

Great action set. Very dramatic with the lighting.

 

[RVT1K]

Great action set. Very dramatic with the lighting.

Thank you.

The lighting is a fortunate byproduct of the feeders being brightly lit while the line of trees in the background are in shadow.
I actually experimented a little this time. I focused on the basket and then locked it. I set my metering spot off the the right side in my viewfinder so I could get the birds flying in from the left side (where the trunk of the tree is) and metered off the suet. When I saw them leave the tree, I fired off a burst.