Seeing Is Understanding

Prior to obtaining my BirdCam in 2007, my understanding of bird behavior was confined entirely to what brief impressions I could gain from field observations (i.e., birds move quickly!) and from what I could glean from my field guides. Those wonderful BirdCam photos give me a chance to really study close-up images and better understand how birds do what they do. An excellent example is represented by the photo I have taken of a Red Bellied Woodpecker at our new suet feeder. I can scrutize this image at my leisure with no concern that "Romeo" will fly off. In this case I am fascinated by the bird's use of its tail as a posture support, something I knew about for years, but can now understand mechanically, right down to the point at which the aggregation of tail feathers starts to become sufficiently rigid. And equally as useful is knowing that 'ol Romeo is actually using the feeder -- a matter of interest as I bought the thing for their benefit! The learning continues!