Northern Flicker (a.k.a. Yellow Shafted Flicker)

[roundball]

I keep a water pail out at the edge of the back yard / woods line shade for the deer during hot weather months. Caught a few shots of this big Northern Flicker getting a drink from it today.
Kind of a comic reversal…I set up a bird bath a couple weeks ago and haven’t seen a bird use it yet…but the deer drink out of it every night...no bending down for them I guess.
And here I have this Flicker drinking out of the Deer’s water pail, LOL.
Canon FDn 300/4.0 on NEX-7


LANDS ON DEER’s WATER PAIL

View attachment 60580


REACHES DOWN IN FOR A DRINK

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/roundball/media/PHOTOGRAPHY/BIRDS/FLICKERS/052715%20B_Northern%20Flicker%20Reaches%20Down%20For%20A%20Drink%20PBHiDef%20PBS20_zpslcxjjmno.jpg.html] View attachment 60581


TILTS HEAD UP HIGH TO SWALLOW

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/roundball/media/PHOTOGRAPHY/BIRDS/FLICKERS/052715%20C_Northern%20Flicker%20Tilts%20Head%20Up%20To%20Swallow%20PBHiDef%20PBS20_zpsomznjith.jpg.html] View attachment 60582


ZEROS IN ON LOUD NEX-7 SHUTTER NOISE

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/roundball/media/PHOTOGRAPHY/BIRDS/FLICKERS/052715%20D_Northern%20Flicker%20Zeros%20In%20On%20Loud%20NEX-7%20Shutter%20Noise%20PBHiDef%20PBS20_zpshqyzcgmt.jpg.html] View attachment 60583 [/URL][/URL][/URL]

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

You certainly have a wide variety of birds back there.
The birds in our backyard have taken a liking to taking a dust bath in the dirt where our yard used to be before the drought, and then taking a bath in the bird bath. The water turns to mud then. The birds are mostly brown colored so they don't know they're dirty.

 

[roundball]

Really blessed to have the back yard right up against woods like it is...basically pretty much our whole range of wildlife is in and out of the back yard at some time or another...scores of differs birds, Hawks, foxes, raccoons, deer, etc...in essence it's an outdoor photo studio