I’m sharing a simple photo of a female Downy Woodpecker this morning that I took yesterday. But is the image all that simple for me? It isn’t, not really.
Adult female Downy Woodpecker with a suet covered bill – Canon R7, f8, 1/640, ISO 1250, +0.3 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light
One reason this image isn’t simple for me is that, in Utah, I struggled to get photos of female Downy Woodpeckers. Most of the Downy Woodpeckers I saw in the field there were males.
I don’t know why that happened, and I wonder about the gender disparity. It seemed disproportionate to me.
Another reason this photo of a female Downy Woodpecker isn’t simple for me is that, except for a few missing red feathers on her hind crown, she is every bit as vital as a male.
Maybe more so, because without the females the males would all die out and this woodpecker species would become extinct. Which is the same thing that would happen to the human race without women.
This female Downy Woodpecker had been feeding at the suet feeder, her bill still has bit of suet on it and in it. I was very happy she stopped by and that I was able to take photos of her.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Downy Woodpecker photos plus facts and information about this species.
I have a good number of both. My small female is still visiting, she brought juveniles to the suet feeder again this summer, I am not sure how many were hers, I have had multiple families.
I kind of thought it was a spider she had in her mouth, thanks for letting us know what she was eating. I love this photo!
Stunning.