Pileated Woodpecker

Hi Doug,

An exquisite bird !

You did well with the 600mm lens.

These birds can be elusive at times. Around my property, I hear them more often than I see them or get a clear shot of them.

Nice work my friend.

Best Regards, Mike

Not sure how it presents on your monitor, but on mine the darks are burned in so that detail is lost.  Here's a little tweak in PS Elements 11 and here's what I did: Lighten shadows 34%, Darken highlights 16%, Midtone contrast +16%, and Sharpen 50% with a 1.0 pixel radius.  Regardless, an excellent capture of this elusive bird... Mike

My 600mm is an oldie but a goodie.  Manual focus entirely, but I've gotten pretty good with it.. MI.M. I like your play with the image, will have a go at it myself.