![\"pickerel](\"https:\/\/wading-in.net\/walkabout\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/NewPickerel.jpg\")
I was out exploring around the edges of the pond out back several days ago and found this guy, who was nice enough not to move while I held the camera down to its level and shot blind. This is a pickerel frog (Lithobates palustris<\/em>,) that I would see near the old place only on rare occasions, I think always along the Eno River. They can be mistaken for a leopard frog, but are distinguished by more squared-off spots along the sides and, especially, no light spot in the middle of the eardrum. Nothing exciting to say about it, just cataloging that I can expect to find them around here now, presumably more often than before. I’m still determining the various amphibians that are in the immediate vicinity.<\/p>\n
And this one (of a pair) was cooperative enough to let me go in and get the camera, but not so cooperative to move to a clearer view:<\/strong><\/p>\n I went in to get the camera for the pair on the dead tree, but they elected not to hang around long enough. However, within a couple of minutes a red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus<\/em>) came along instead.<\/p>\n Managing a little more time to chase photos now, but up next, we have even more anoles. Well, one…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Way too many numbered posts in here… Anyway, a couple of recent pics to break things up slightly, with little exposition. I was out exploring around the edges of the pond out back several days ago and found this guy, who was nice enough not to move while I held the camera down to its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[6117,3947,3673,3946,6116,3672],"class_list":["post-37763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature","category-photo","tag-dryocopus-pileatus","tag-lithobates-palustris","tag-melanerpes-carolinus","tag-pickerel-frog","tag-pileated-woodpecker","tag-red-bellied-woodpecker"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wading-in.net\/walkabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wading-in.net\/walkabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wading-in.net\/walkabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wading-in.net\/walkabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wading-in.net\/walkabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wading-in.net\/walkabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37763\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wading-in.net\/walkabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wading-in.net\/walkabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wading-in.net\/walkabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"pileated](\"https:\/\/wading-in.net\/walkabout\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PileatedSpy.jpg\")
We’d spotted pileated woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus<\/em>) near here<\/a> before, and then one flitting deep in the foliage of the trees near the pond, but this one and its sibling, I think, were right alongside the driveway – just, not getting clear of intervening branches and leaves. I did at least get this frame with the eye and catchlight visible between the branches. The two were foraging not more than two meters apart, and I thought they might be a mated pair but couldn’t get a clear enough look to determine male and female. Then the following day, I heard a familiar wheet-a wheet-a<\/em> sound and watched a pair land on a nearby dead trunk, likely the same pair, but that sound seems<\/em> to be uttered by immature woodpeckers conversing amongst themselves – so far, that’s the only time I’ve heard it, and until now I thought it was only flickers<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"red-bellied](\"https:\/\/wading-in.net\/walkabout\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AcornRedbelly.jpg\")
The day was light overcast and I was facing almost due south in mid-afternoon, so the lighting wasn’t getting any better, and this has even been lightened in post, despite dialing in some exposure compensation while shooting. But at least it’s sharp, and you can see the acorn snack that the woodpecker has, as well as the fungus growing from the trunk. This tree sees a lot of action, mostly woodpeckers so far, but it’s a shame that my vantage is never going to be in good light. Maybe I’ll go down the road a little and see if I can get a better view from there, but the nearby trees may prevent that.<\/p>\n