Good to the last Drop!

Looks like I better make a suet run. Just about every bird I've ever seen around here was vying for the nearly empty feeder today. Though I would have loved a shot of this guy on another tree, the feeder shot was by far the sharpest of the bunch.

Come look me in the eye.

For months (prior to my joining blip) the Pileated, Dryocopus pileatus frequented our property. Since I got more interested in bird images... they haven't been around at all. So, I was very happy to see this young male today at my neighbor's feeder. (I'm doing my best to keep her feeders stocked while she is away this month.) I usually get all geared up in snow pants, boots, every winter outerwear item I own prior to a bird shoot. Today, seeing one so close to home... I took off in jeans and a pair of slippers... This is as close as I could get. Here, I'm standing in 6" of snow where we had shoveled recently, any further it would be over my knees (just not worth it).

I am hoping the others will come back around soon. For months two of the young males would play from tree to tree for long periods of time and one large female would annihilate a dead tree right at the edge of our property. They are such big birds it's easy to notice when they are around. Pileateds are 16-19 inches in length and have about a 29 inch wing span. The males have the red "mustache" from the beak to the nape.