A Red-bellied Woodpecker perched outdoors amidst brown foliage, soft lighting suggests late afternoon. 0:33
Jocelyn Anderson Photography channel icon Jocelyn Anderson PhotographyOriginal creator 114K views Save

A woodpecker lands for the suet

There's suet in Jocelyn Anderson's open hand, and a male red-bellied woodpecker wants it. In slow motion, the landing is the whole show. more

At full speed it is over in a blink. One moment he is in the air, the next he is standing in her palm. The camera sits close, so none of it is lost, and stretched out like this you can finally see how a bird lands.

Slowed down, the approach looks smooth and careful. He puts on the air brakes, and then, as one viewer spotted, puts them on again. Another saw a curious, friendly look in his eyes as he came in.

A Red-bellied Woodpecker perched outdoors amidst brown foliage, soft lighting suggests late afternoon. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
There's suet in Jocelyn Anderson's open hand, and a male red-bellied woodpecker wants it.

Then he eats the suet right out of her hand, calm as you like. One viewer has a woodpecker who comes by for peanuts and wishes hers would do the same.

Anderson is a photographer, and she holds the suet out and lets the bird come to her. One regular is always amazed at how she finds birds this friendly.

He could have landed anywhere. He picks her hand, and slowed down, you can watch him decide.