A downy woodpecker clings to a rotten, old birch tree in Quebec.

Downy Woodpecker

Châteauguay, Québec

A downy woodpecker, the smallest North American woodpecker species, searches for insects on a decaying birch limb. The flash of red on the rear of the bird's head mark this one as a male; females are completely black and white. I shot this at the beginning of the autumn season, when the temperature was starting to drop and the birds were becoming more active in their daily search for food. Dead birch trees are a welcome sight for a downy, as the soft wood often hosts nutritious insects.

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