This female downy woodpecker likes to carry sunflower seeds from a nearby feeder into a tree where she opens and eats them.
Spacious
I caught this image at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, quite unexpectedly. I was photographing the Blue Ridge Chandelier, on the right side of the image, when the girl moved to look out an enormous window off the left side of the photograph. I was immediately drawn to the spaciousness of this image.
Dark-Eyed Junco 1
The dark-eyed junco is a common bird in Richmond during the colder months. When the weather warms they will migrate to the Appalachians and Canada, not to return again until autumn. They make for tricky photography subjects as they are small, quick, and almost never still. I waited until this junco hopped into a patch of direct sunlight to get a shutter speed fast enough to catch it.
I would like to give some credit for this photo to Cornel Apostol. If you’re not familiar with Cornel’s blog, check it out at http://apostolcornel.wordpress.com. On several of his posts he’s mentioned throwing a sheet over his head to get closer to birds. That inspired me to rig up a simple blind which I used to capture this image.
Wildflower and Native Bee
A patch of wild daisies attracted this small, native bee.
Macro of Magnolia
Sun light begins to fall on the curled stamens of this magnolia bloom.