Today, I’m sharing an image of a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on a pear tree that I photographed three days ago here in Arkansas. This isn’t a lifer bird for me.
Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in a pear tree – Canon R7, handheld, f8, 1/200, ISO 1000, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light
I haven’t photographed this sapsucker species much at all. The last time I had this species in my viewfinder was in 2008, and at that time, I lived in Florida.
Utah infrequently had vagrant Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers show up; I never found one, though. They are still on the Utah Review List.
I’ve seen a few Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in Oklahoma and Arkansas since I arrived here, but they have all been too far away to photograph.
When I saw this male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on the pear tree, I had to get up and move a little closer to take my photos of him. I do wish I had the f11 800mm lens attached to the Canon R7 when he appeared so I could have had more focal length.
All in all, I’m happy with this photo, and I even created a gallery for my Yellow-bellied Sapsucker images on my site.
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are not year-round residents here, but they do overwinter in the area.
I’ve been seeing three of these beautiful sapsuckers hanging around the yard, and I hope to have more opportunities to photograph them soon.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Yellow-bellied Sapsucker photos plus facts and information about this species.
Love your title – and hope that you do get more chances with this beauty and his relatives.