Aside from the technical aspect, bird photography puts me in training for my patience and persistence. I heard Flicker’s calls and saw them flying by for years without taking a good picture. Credited to a ‘woodpecker delight’ suet I randomly picked up at the store which suddenly becomes a hit, my backyard has been busy. Flickers came numerous times a day this summer, and they seemed to become less intimidated by the people around them.
At first, I love how they hang (bashfully) on the tree trunk, half-hidden. Later I was thrilled to see them come to drink the water (getting closer to my camera). I am no bird expert, but a bird with his mouth wide open tells he is waiting to be fed, a newbie. Thinking ‘of patience’, I waited and waited, and was able to capture the feeding scene. However, not until I looked at the picture carefully, I did not realize that Dad was doing the feeding.
FYI. Flicker male has a red mark under his chin.
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