What are those woodpeckers doing on the ground?
Being northern flickers. 🙂
To be fair, they *are* members of the woodpecker family, albeit slightly subtle ones. This zoomed, cropped, and centered photo vastly overstates their visibility. They blend so well, I can spot them only when they fly in or out.
But not everything is so subtle. Even two days at the lake, and even this time of year, yields an amazing harvest of sightings: some recorded photographically, some not so much.
The not-so-much ones? A singleton swimming muskrat. A herd of turkeys. A lone pileated woodpecker. A doe with two fawns who have almost lost their spots. One monarch butterfly drinking from a hummingbird feeder for about three seconds.
But also dragonflies, grasshoppers, bees, flowers, leaves and reflections.
Bugs — their top, overriding DNA is to SURVIVE. You’re not supposed to see them.
Reminds me of a UK High-Court judge who — after I told him I sat in Canada’s Supreme Court and listened for OVER an HOUR to questions and testimony and STILL didn’t know what the case was about — said, “You’re not supposed to.”
Judges think they are high priests and nuero-surgeons think they are gods. It’s the way of specialization:
like bugs.
I love the line”Judges think they are high priests and nuero-surgeons think they are gods. It’s the way of specialization:
like bugs.”
🙂
We just can’t do everything — altho you are giving it a shot, Isabel! I keep thinking about you taking up knitting then that fabulous shawl! Boof!
Barbara – Well, I was just thinking today that I have too many things on the go . . . 🙂
Barbara – Hmm. Maybe we should be able to understand what goes on in our high courts, no? Otherwise, who shall watch the watchers?
I love northern flickers…. for some reason I always feel proud when I spot one 🙂
Kate – Maybe because they’re masters at camouflage? I really couldn’t see these guys until they moved.
Nice collection Isabel.
I often find “hiding in plain sight” being the much better scene behind me, rather than the one I am photographing
Jim – Thanks! And yes, they do say to turn around before leaving a site. 🙂