Woodpeckers of the Vermilon River. A Post to WBW.

Male Hairy.

As with the warbler post, I usually  do a fall post on woodpeckers. We're fortunate to have a fair number that is increasing as more move in from the south with the global warming and the regenerating forest. I purposely posted the Hairy's and the Downy's together as they're hard to tell apart. The Downy is smaller and has lines on the underside of the tail. All that is meaningless if he is not facing the right way, or is not sitting next to Hairy to indicate size. In both, the male has a red patch on the back of his head just visible in the first photo. The real indicator to me is the beak size. If it's as big as his head, it's a Hairy and vice- versa. Sometimes that's difficult also as the female shows because her beak is angled away making it appear smaller.Just imagine reaching up and turning her head.  The Northern Flickers are ground woodpeckers primarily feeding on ants. In flight they show a yellow shaft on their wings. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is new to me this year. This one is my second sighting. They make a hole and suck the sap from trees, and eat the insects drawn to it. This is likely a young male as he has the red patch under his beak. Of course, the Pileated is in a class of his own, both amongst woodpeckers and birds in general. Once you've heard his cry, you'll never forget it, nor the sound of his drumming when you've heard it. The blog has lots of woodpecker photos included in other posts. The Pileated post has several close ups. Just click the index by month, and you'll find it.

Female Hairy.

Male Downy

Male Downy

Male Downy- See the streaks just visible on his tail.

Male Downy.

Female Downy. See the tail Streaks.

Male Northern Flicker. Note the Mustache.

Female Northern Flicker. No Mustache.

Female Northern Flicker.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker.

Male Pileated Woodpecker.