We bought an old 1870-ish farmhouse in Northern New York. The siding had already been updated to vinyl, but (thankfully) the roofline corbels remained untouched. I call shots like this one 'serendipity' - they can't be created or posed (except using Photoshop skills I don't have...). I believe the bird is a species of woodpecker. We used to hear them, staccato rapping, in the woods at the edge of our property.

Funny story, I have this in an 8x10, framed and hanging in the family room. One day, my favorite Army guy and I were talking about those corbels and that house. Looking at the photo, he told me it was his first time seeing the bird; he'd always thought I just took a photo of the architecture.

Lesson learned: everyone sees things differently.