New visitor to the backyard

PhilM_TX · Jan 11, 2021

Yesterday, we had (a tiny bit of) snow which is incredibly rare in our area. As such, I wanted to see if I could get some shots with an atypical feel.

When I saw this fella, I thought it was one of our common Red-Bellied WP's. However, his behavior was a bit different than I'm accustomed to. I attributed it the snow.

When I got the images onto the computer, I realized that it was not a RBWP afterall, but instead a Golden-Fronted WP - a 1st for me!

After looking at the images for a bit, it became obvious that this guy has a shorter torso than the RB's and he holds his tail feathers different and they may be shorter too.

I have no explanation for why I shot all afternoon @ 5.6 rather than F4, other then cold brain. Lol....

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I hate feeder shots, but.....

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Luis R. Lebron · Jan 11, 2021

Very nice series. I took some pictures of them when I visited family in south Texas.

drr1531 · Jan 11, 2021

Nice set of an interesting bird. I really like the third image. The bird is turned away just enough to reveal its back well but the head is turned back into profile. There's a nice contrast with the BG as well. Well done.

Randy · Jan 11, 2021

Nice set and the iso didn't go too high and the BGs look good

MikeMcA² · Jan 11, 2021

Nice collection, Phil! Odd that they look so similar to the Red-Bellied WP.

Pa · Jan 11, 2021

Well done, Phil. That is an interesting bird which I haven't seen.

The range map shows it lives from Central America up through Mexico and central Texas, extending into Oklahoma. Apparently, Texas and Oklahoma are the only states in the U.S. where they appear.

Terri French · Jan 11, 2021

What a beautiful bird!

jbird · Jan 11, 2021

Nice set Phil. My first golden fronted was in Palo Duro SP

Bohdan · Jan 12, 2021

Really nice Phil. Always great to come across a new bird. Must have been exciting

Phil K · Jan 12, 2021

Very nice set, enhanced by the snow.

Boblou · Jan 12, 2021

Super set Phil.
Beautiful woodpeckers.
Well done.

PhilM_TX · Jan 12, 2021

Luis R. Lebron said:
Very nice series. I took some pictures of them when I visited family in south Texas.

Thank you Luis. There is amazing avian variety as you get down towards south Tx.

drr1531 said:
Nice set of an interesting bird. I really like the third image. The bird is turned away just enough to reveal its back well but the head is turned back into profile. There's a nice contrast with the BG as well. Well done.

Thanks Dan. In addition to being seemingly curious, this one was quite accommodating. Had I not seem him (her?) fend off some much larger BlueJays, I'd have suspected a Juvi - based on the lack of fear of me. However, I did sit totally still on my stool the whole time and had most of my skin covered with camo (for warmth!).

Randy said:
Nice set and the iso didn't go too high and the BGs look good

Thanks a bunch Randy. Had I not overlooked an available stop of light, the ISO would have been lower & BG smoother. I can only think that I was used to seeing 5.6 in the VF from using the 500PF most as of late. That or cold brain, referenced above. hahahhaa....

MikeMcA² said:
Nice collection, Phil! Odd that they look so similar to the Red-Bellied WP.

Appreciate it Mike. They are quite similar. As mentioned, I didn't realize it until I reviewed the imaged on the computer. I still envy the variety you see in your yard! ;-)

Pa said:
Well done, Phil. That is an interesting bird which I haven't seen.

The range map shows it lives from Central America up through Mexico and central Texas, extending into Oklahoma. Apparently, Texas and Oklahoma are the only states in the U.S. where they appear.

Thank you Jim. I am surprised (and encouraged) to hear what you found on the range map. I guess I need to be more attentive.

Terri French said:
What a beautiful bird!

I could not agree more Terri, and friendly to boot.

jbird said:
Nice set Phil. My first golden fronted was in Palo Duro SP

Thanks! That's interesting. Palo Duro is a bit north of us. We have not been there for birding, but we have have been there. It's almost an oasis in the middle of flat lands. Lol...

Bohdan said:
Really nice Phil. Always great to come across a new bird. Must have been exciting

Thank you Sir. It was indeed, even not knowing what I was seeing at the time. The behavior was enough to keep me thoroughly intrigued.

Phil K said:
Very nice set, enhanced by the snow.

Thanks Phil. It's such a rare occurrence here, that I just had to get out. We had predictions of up to "several inches", but never got enough to even cover the grass. Areas west, south, and east of us got quit a bit. The new reported up to 8" within about 50~60 miles, but not here. :-/

Boblou said:
Super set Phil.
Beautiful woodpeckers.
Well done.

As always, Thank you Bob! I appreciate your kind words.