Pileated Woodpecker Wow Factor!

Pileated Woodpecker, male, head shot, Canon SX 50 HS

Av, 1/50, f 6.5, ISO 400, +1 1/3, 400% digital zoom ratio

This was shot on Auto, 1/100 sec., f6.5, 400% digital zoom ratio, not cropped

Here are the pair

Here is the female, she has a darker eye and no red coming off base of bill.

AV, 1/40 sec., f/6.5, +1, ISO 400, 195% digital zoom ratio

Pileated Woodpeckers were active in our yard this morning. They convened on a dead stub of a palm tree we had deliberately not cut down, it was left for the woodpeckers. A great chance for photography. I used my Canon SX 50 HS camera, the powerful little point-and-shoot superzoom. I tried many different things in terms of shooting with this camera, including Auto setting, Av setting, using standard digital zoom pushed to the 400% limit (the equivalent of 4800mm) and the digital zoom with the 2x teleconverter, as well as adding exposure compensation for this back-lit situation.
What is so addictive about this camera is getting these intimate, close, eyeball shots that give you such an appreciation for the bird. The Wow factor.
P.S. If you want my tips for using this camera, email me. Email address link is at the top right of this blog.
Lillian