Dust Bath

• Photographer
  Alexandra Martinez
• Agency / Studio
  Alexandra Martinez Photography

The image shows a Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) taking a dust bath. The bird sits on the ground with its wings closed and plumage slightly fluffed. Small particles of sand rise around it, made clearly visible by the backlight. The photograph documents a typical feather-care behaviour, in which the woodpecker uses dust and sand to remove parasites and maintain its plumage.The incoming light accentuates both the contours of the bird’s body and the suspended grains of sand, bathing the scene in a delicate and almost poetic atmosphere.

Professional Photographer from Germany, based in the South of France, Camargue .