Wryneck
Images copyright by Mark A. Chappell

Wrynecks are peculiar relatives of woodpeckers, found in Eurasia and Africa.   They are summer residents in northern Europe, and their loud whistling calls are a sign of spring.   Wrynecks are named for their long necks and a strange crypic behavior when the head is stretched and held low along a branch to hide the bird's profile.   These were photographed in Bialowieza, Poland.

digital captures, Canon 1D3, 800 mm IS lens with 1.4X converter, most with fill-in flash (2009)