Okay, so, don’t tell my wife, but I played hooky from work this afternoon because a certain redhead has caught my eye and I wanted to get to know them better.

So, how’s that for a click-bait opening paragraph! Of course, the redhead I am talking about is a bird. Recently my neighbor (here in the country) had their timber harvested, which leaves a lot of open fields. We have an open-gate policy between us and he lets me roam around looking at/for wildlife.

A while back I noticed a single dead tree trunk that appeared to have several holes in it. And then I caught a flash or red fly out of one of those holes. I promised I would return with my camera and now I have.

Approaching the tree, I thought I could see someone deep inside one of the holes, but I wasn’t sure. Looking at the back of my camera and zooming all the way in, I was sure someone was in there.

So I pulled up closer with my 4-wheeler, shut off the engine, and settled in for a bit. The weather has turned off chilly here in East Texas recently, but I was prepared with a warm jacket. Even though the sun was shining, the wind was whipping around so I was thankful I had it with me.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long until the red of the red-headed woodpecker popped out to see what I was doing.

I was parked probably about 30 years away from the tree, and this hole was probably about 30 yards up from the ground. I was already wishing I had brought my 600mm lens with me. This trip, the 400mm will have to do.

After sitting there checking me out for a few minutes, the bird became comfortable enough with my presence to come out and do a little drumming on the tree. It really made this old hollowed out tree echo across the fields.

Seeing that I was no threat it continued circling the tree looking for whatever bugs it could find, stopping occasionally to drum away.

After watching the performance for a while, I decided it was time to back on out and leave my new friend to its business. As I started the 4-wheeler, the bird dutifully stood watch on a dead branch, watching me drive away.

Since it had been a while since I originally saw this nest, I wasn’t sure if it would still be there. I’m pleased to know that it is.

Looking the red-headed woodpecker up in my iBird app, I leaned that it is a year-round resident of these parts. I will definatley be returning soon with the big lens to get some more intimate shots. Also, who knows if it is living alone in that big tree.

Until next time, you beautiful redhead!