In 2023, Juanita Bay Park had four or more pretty-well-known flicker nests, none ideal for photography. Most were too high up in cottonwood, poplar or big-leaf maple snags. One at a lower height had poor sight lines and messy surroundings. All were mostly ignored by bird photographers. I photographed a high up one, but it had a distinct advantage—early morning sunlight.

Northern Flickers thrive year-round in Juanita Bay Park. The open ground has ample foraging terrain for finding ground-dwelling ants, their favorite food. For nesting, Junita also has suitable dead wood with numerous snags. Every year many of their nests fledge three or more youngsters. Four seems pretty common.

Because I didn’t regard any of the 2023 nests as good photography, I didn’t pursue any until one June morning I witnessed an adult feeding the kids while passers-by walked the asphalt below. Parent flickers in these situations often wait for people to exit the area before approaching the nest. This pair flew in with walkers nearby; the birds would likely tolerate me standing in the grass farther away. I realized the sunrise would strike that nest really early, casting really, really warm sunlight at daybreak. Bird photography in exceptional light!

The next morning, pre-dawn, I returned with tripod and my longest lens, arriving at 4:40am (sunrise was 5:11).

As is my habit with most shoots, I spent time discovering a best set-up spot. I walked the path and the open field near the snag, assessing with binoculars. Flicker adults forage for long periods before returning to feed their young. When they do return, the adults regurgitate food. This takes a bit of time, creating many photographic chances—and a corollary, long waits between shoots for the photographer. As the golden light wouldn’t last long, I might get just one chance. Quickly, I determined a best shot would come side-lit to the hole. A distant, shaded background would perfectly complement the warmly-lit nest. The height of the nest, about 45 feet elevation, had me backing up about 120 ft so I wouldn’t be shooting upward at too steep an angle. I planted the tripod, mounted and balanced the camera, determined exposure settings (manual), and waited. At 5:45am, cable release in hand (for minimum shake), I was set. The warm sun lit the snag like a torch.

At 6:01am, two male kids revealed themselves, and I photographed my first keeper (second photo, without adjustments, above). 6:14, the female flew in. I got a best shot when she paused (to upchuck food). This was the shot I had hoped for—adult bird at the nest, kids begging, warm light against cool background. After she flew off, I waited for the male, but he perched and called from an adjacent treetop. I think he was telling the kids it’s time to fledge. Nothing else happened for a while, so I took the chance to have a look at a more front-lit shot. At 6:54, I got a quick grab shot of a lone chick, more front-lit, background also sunlit and cluttered. I quickly retreated to my prior spot.

Finally, at 7:22, the male flew in, did a quick feed, and departed (I think he wanted the kids out). The light was still good, but not as warm, and the background sunlit, so warm on warm. I packed up, satisfied, and headed home.

The next day, I photograph elsewhere (it’s June, after all). When I returned the morning after that, the kids had fledged. I looked for them—but not for long. A new offerings presented with the ripening of the Juanita Bay Park cherry trees.

In Lightroom, I warmed my best shot to where it matched how I felt¹, and then cooled down the background a bit to promote the color contrast. I used Lightroom’s Enhance Denoise set at 20% to clean up the file. At left, have a look at color wheels I added to the warm-cool and warm-warm images. The warm-cool complementary colors orange on blue-green cause the image to pop. In the warm-warm photo, yellow-orange on yellow-green, despite decent light, lacks complementary appeal.
                                                                                                        

1. My camera is always set to Auto White Balance. Usually this is fine, but with large differences in color, or extreme outdoor lighting like early morning sunlight or in shade, AWB will get it wrong. Always also shoot in RAW, which retains all the original information of the shot. It is then easy to correct color to match how the shot felt in post.

Gary