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Redheads
Woodpeckers, that is. Or at least one of them. Now it is not unusual for North American woodpecker species to have red markings on their heads. In fact, we have four species we regularly see here with such markings on the male at least. From what my father said years ago, though, the fifth species (Red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus) used to be much more common than it seems to be now. The general theory is that human activities have reduced the bird's preferred habitat by removing dead trees and draining wet areas. This may well be part of what has happened.
We generally see an actual red-headed woodpecker about once a year here. Typically they seem to pass by us in the spring, inspecting our trees for nesting cavities but finding nothing that suits their fancy. Today we saw one bird three times, or perhaps three different birds one time each.
First I pointed it out to Gary as we sat down for dinner. A red-head was sitting on a feeder in the yard, picking over the seeds. Or maybe there were ants among the seeds, which seems more likely. Half an hour later, we saw the same or a similar bird at a different feeder. And an hour after the first sighting, I was outside and conveniently had binoculars with me when I saw a flash of red among the oaks near the arena. Sure enough, a red-headed woodpecker was up there inspecting the tree trunks.
For those of you who live in areas where this bird is not seen, here's a photo. (Click image for more information.) They now have a status of "near threatened" so my perception of scarcity is not imaginary. The colors in the photo don't do justice to the real thing. In good light, the red is bright crimson, and the black and white are intense with sharply delineated borders. A large white patch on the lower back under the wings gives a distinctive marker when the bird flies.
We generally see an actual red-headed woodpecker about once a year here. Typically they seem to pass by us in the spring, inspecting our trees for nesting cavities but finding nothing that suits their fancy. Today we saw one bird three times, or perhaps three different birds one time each.
First I pointed it out to Gary as we sat down for dinner. A red-head was sitting on a feeder in the yard, picking over the seeds. Or maybe there were ants among the seeds, which seems more likely. Half an hour later, we saw the same or a similar bird at a different feeder. And an hour after the first sighting, I was outside and conveniently had binoculars with me when I saw a flash of red among the oaks near the arena. Sure enough, a red-headed woodpecker was up there inspecting the tree trunks.
For those of you who live in areas where this bird is not seen, here's a photo. (Click image for more information.) They now have a status of "near threatened" so my perception of scarcity is not imaginary. The colors in the photo don't do justice to the real thing. In good light, the red is bright crimson, and the black and white are intense with sharply delineated borders. A large white patch on the lower back under the wings gives a distinctive marker when the bird flies.