Tuesday, October 4, 2011

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.

17 comments:

  1. Such a variety of woodpeckers...the flicker is my favourite.

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  2. Excellent study Gary. You saved my favorite till last, the immense Pileated woodpecker. Your pictures are the perfect accompaniment for your informative text. Cheers!

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  3. Woodpeckers are one of my favorite groups of birds. I just love them! I get all of these n my yard except the pileated and the sapsucker. I think I am in too much of a suburban neighborhood, but you never know! They could show up yet!

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  4. Great photos and very interesting ID features of the Woodpeckers.

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  5. Hi Gary

    A good post lots of great information and some nice photos.

    All the best.
    Guy

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  6. The woodpeckers are so splendid, nice shooting.

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  7. Great post and photos of the woodies. I love all the woodpeckers.

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  8. Wonderful! They are all such gorgeous birds. I like to watch woodpeckers. They are so interesting to watch how they act.

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  9. Enjoyed your woodpecker post, Gary. The shots of the Yellow-bellied and the Pileated Woodpackers are spectacular.

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  10. Gary, This is a good educational post. Very nice photos of one of my favorite groups of birds. Thumbs-up!

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  11. These feathery dudes are gorgeous!

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  12. I can not understand still, how do you manage to take so fine photos about those flying fellows?
    I want say that I appreciate every of your bird photo,they are great.

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  13. Wow - such variation and beauty. Lovely shots!

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  14. The male Pileated Woodpecker is a very handsome bird, we don't have any like that. We used to have a woodpecker visit until our cherry tree was blown down earlier this year.
    Beautiful pics.

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