Taking a Second Look

Part of the fun of "Birdcamming" is the second take: backing up and really looking at a photo that at first blush seemed routine and prosaic. Consider this image. I skimmed quickly through yesterday's photography, noting in succession the common and regular visitors to a sunflower seed tube feeder: House Finch... Goldfinch... Titmouse... Downey... Chickadee. Then I stopped and backed up. Downey?? And sure enough this male Downey is eating from the feeder. Did this woodpecker develop a taste for seed? Surely not! and on reflection I realized that I must have a few bugs hiding in the deepest part of the feeder, but not so well hidden that this clever Downey couldn't find them. What this, of course, means to me is that I have a thorough empty-and-clean routine to do this weekend. But how much fun it was to get such an interesting outcome from the first-glance humdrum photograph!