Hot Northern Flicker
Here is the Roger Tory Peterson “spark” bird, the Northern Flicker. This fella (a male as noted by his mustache) was not chatting and was instead rather hot on one of the most brutal recent summer afternoons. It had flown into the tree a moment earlier after feeding on some ants on the ground in the scorching sunshine. Keep those bird baths full and clean, please!
Read MoreFlicker Feather
This feather is another find from exploring the outdoors this weekend with my dog Zach. The number of birds with long yellow feathers around in the autumn or winter seasons is relatively short, and it looks like a Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). Roger Tory Peterson saw this brilliant flash of gold in a flicker’s wings and it helped inspire him to change the world. What always makes me use my imagination is thinking about seeing a deep red explosion coming from a Northern Flicker bursting from the ground. The red-shafted forms fill the American west, and someday I hope to go see...
Read MoreNorthern Flicker
Here is the species that started everything for Roger Tory Peterson – the Northern Flicker. It and all birds came to represent to Roger all the freedom, beauty and vitality of the natural world. This Northern Flicker is a male as you can see by the black mustache. The bird is feeding on the ground, as many flickers do, searching for ants, beetles and other insect life. This winter is a good example of how a warmer than usual stretch of weather can impact a certain species as these strongly migratory birds might not have to fly so far to find uncovered, unfrozen earth. Climate change...
Read MoreFlicker vs. Kestrel
Feathered friends! Ehhhh…not so much. These boys were not getting along as well as this photo may suggest. The Northern Flicker was slowly chasing the American Kestrel while I looked on in the early morning. Amazingly, despite their relative sizes, Kestrels will prey on Flickers. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreWoodpeckers of Newfoundland
Here’s a Throwback Thursday of a different sort – five woodpeckers from the Birds of Newfoundland by Roger Tory Peterson. Can you identify them all? Clockwise from the top we have the Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Black-backed Woodpecker. If you are fortunate enough to have a yard where you can see them all that would be extremely impressive!
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