Gila on Saguaro

They can easily close their eyes. This Gila Woodpecker was busily pecking a nest inside a Saguaro Cactus. There are another 15 photos with his eyes open, but I like this one because it caught him at a moment when he was blinking. Also the top mark on his head is clear and the yellow spot under his rump is visible. Another shot was from the rear while his head was inside. It reminded me of the famous picture of the plumber working under the kitchen sink.

Today I shot about 20 photos of a great sunrise which was colorful for all of about five minutes. I was there to see it because of the newspaper on the driveway.

Note: For all you Gringos out there, Gila is pronounced "Hee-la".

Technical Note: This shot was at ISO 1600 with sharpening and lots of Noise Reduction in Lightroom 3. This bird was across the driveway at a Fire Station and about 25 ft away from the camera. Just noticed that this was a 1/4000 sec exposure. Lower ISO would have meant less Noise Reduction and probably more detail.