Each year as we slosh and trudge through Chicago’s midwinter and early spring, one of my favorite sounds is woodpeckers searching for their next meal. Usually they’re happy to hammer away a few times, hop to another spot, and return to hammering. Here, though, this woodpecker seems to be a little more thoughtful about its next move as its brown eye catches a glint of sunlight.

Incidentally, this is called a red-bellied woodpecker, which leads me to believe ornithologists are frickin’ colorblind.

March 17, 2019. Cropped from a larger image. Nikon D7100 (DX sensor), Tamron 100–400mm lens at 400mm (35mm equivalent: 600mm), f/6.3, 1/250, ISO 280.