Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker hanging on the underside of a tree branch, looking for food.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Greer Island Trail Head, December 30, 2021
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600mm; ISO-1000; f/7.1; 1/2000 sec.

This page is for the Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus). My first photographic evidence occurred on December 30, 2021 at the Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX. I had observed this bird much and since the December 30th sighting, I think I have seen them on most trips to the field since (currently late January 2022). They are very active which helps with the observations.

The following photographs are the best representative images from different dates and locations than my species representative example.

Red-bellied Woodpecker sitting on the side of a small tree limb.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Lone Point, January 4, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600mm; ISO-1000; f/7.1; 1/2500 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker sitting on a small tree limb looking away.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Wildwood Park, January 4, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600mm; ISO-1600; f/7.1; 1/2500 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker looking puffy while sitting on the side of a large tree. There are other small trees around the larger tree.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Dead End Trail, Fort Worth, TX, January 15, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-500; f/6.3; 1/800 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker sitting on a medium sized tree limb surrounded by other smaller limbs.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Village Creek, Arlington, TX, January 17, 2022
Canon EOS 5Ds R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-800; f/6.3; 1/500 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker sitting on a small tree limb.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Village Creek, Arlington, TX, January 22, 2022
Canon EOS 5Ds R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-320; f/7.1; 1/500 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker sitting on a dead tree branch looking slightly upward
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve River Road, Fort Worth, TX, February 6, 2022
Canon EOS 5Ds R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-3200; f/6.3; 1/3200 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker sitting on a small tree limb.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Shoreline Road, Fort Worth, TX, February 12, 2022
Canon EOS 5Ds R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 428 mm; ISO-5000; f/6.3; 1/2000 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker sitting near the top of a small tree limb.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, March 5, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-1600; f/7.1; 1/400 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker sitting on a small tree near the top.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Cedar Hill State Park, Cedar Hill, TX, March 6, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-250; f/6.3; 1/1000 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker hanging on the underside of a tree branch, looking to the left.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, March 12, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-640; f/6.3; 1/1000 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker on the side of a tree ready to start pecking.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, March 27, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens; 500 mm; ISO-2500; f/7.1; 1/2000 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker at the base of a large tree looking at it like he wants to take the tree down.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, April 15, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens; 500 mm; ISO-3200; f/7.1; 1/1000 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker digging into a broken tree branch looking for food.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, May 8, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-640; f/11; 1/1250 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker eating a blackberry that he pulled out of a broken tree branch. Either this bird or something else stashed the berry in the tree.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, May 8, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-640; f/11; 1/1250sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker perched on a branch.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, June 18, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-1600; f/10; 1/2000 sec.
Juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker sitting on a tree branch.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Acton Nature Center, Acton, TX, June 20, 2021
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-1250; f/10; 1/320 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker on the side of a large branch. It has its neck bent far backwards like it is doing a yoga pose.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Sequoyah NWR, Vian, OK, September 12, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-12,800; f/10; 1/1600 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker perched near the top of a dead tree.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tishomingo NWR, Tishomingo, OK, September 13, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-250; f/10; 1/500 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker perched on the side of a tree partially hidden by thin leaves.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tishomingo NWR, Tishomingo, OK, September 14, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-4000; f/11; 1/500 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker at the top of a dead tree facing away from the camera.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, October 8, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-400; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker perched on a medium-sized limb looking to the left.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, January 1, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-2500; f/16; 1/800 sec.
Red-belled Woodpecker perched on a dead tree branch with its back to the camera and looking to its left.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX May 21, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-100; f/11; 1/400 sec. -0.7 exposure bias.
Red-bellied Woodpecker on a dead pine tree.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Seminole SF, Lake County, FL December 3, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700mm; ISO-1600; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker on the side of a dead pine tree.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Seminole SF, Lake County, FL December 3, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700mm; ISO-1600; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker working on a dead tree branch.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Ocala NF, Lake County, FL December 3, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700mm; ISO-250; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker on the side of a tree.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Orlando, FL December 5, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-400; f/10; 1/320 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker on a vertical tree branch.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Vista West, Fort Worth, TX, January 15, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-500; f/10; 1/500 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker perched on the side of a tree.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, May 4, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-40,000; f/11; 1/2000 sec.
Red-bellied Woodpecker perched deep in a tree.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Grand Marais, MN, January 19, 2025
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-800; f/10; 1/800 sec.