Master of Camouflage

I spotted this yellow-bellied sapsucker flitting in and out from this tree snatching berries off its branches so that it could pry them open against the trunk.

I was able to get extremely close to it (about 17'). Still, had I not seen it earlier or had it not moved, I doubt that I would have spotted it.

That's one chilly bird. Good shot.

That's a yellow-bellied one? It looks like the red-breast sapsuckers I've seen. OK, the red-breasted one has a red head :)

Ron - thanks for looking, thanks for commenting.

AgingEyes - I like the look of your red-breasted variety. Although I have to admit that I had to look it up as I only have Peterson's field guide of eastern and central US birds and the red-breasted is not shown.

A few more of the same bird.

I was fortunate in that this bird had a preferred spot to land after snatching each berry.

It took several snatches until I had it where I wanted it against the area of background that I was planning in #2 here.

The last one looks better to me. Very sharp on the eye. Wow, those belly feathers...have almost the same pattern as the bark.

Those are one of my favorite woodpeckers!

From a few days ago - chasing two Northern Flickers from tree to tree to tree was interesting.

Often I would walk right up to a tree (thinking the flickers were somewhere else) and not see the flicker until it moved - even with that splash of red.

Novice birder :rolleyes: