Lessons from Nature: Expect the Unexpected!

Red-headed Woodpecker, Manitoulin Island

   Most days I walked the length of Irish Line at least twice, but sometimes I took a golf cart if rain seemed imminent or if I wanted to use the cart as a blind. I was determined to find Eastern Bluebirds and sat quietly one morning in the cart beside a meadow where they have been in the past. I didn't see much bird activity at all and did not even have my camera out of the case. Suddenly, a flash of red flew by and a Red-headed Woodpecker landed on a fence post about 30 metres away from me. I don't think I would have been more surprised if an "angel of the Lord" had appeared in front of me!

The Cornell Lab's site All About Birds shares this information on Red-headed Woodpeckers.

"Red-headed Woodpeckers declined by over 2% per year from 1966 to 2014, resulting in a cumulative decline of 70%, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 1.2 million, with 99% spending part of the year in the U.S., and 1% in Canada. The species rates a 13 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score."

   Red-headed Woodpeckers are exceedingly rare in Ontario and I have found only one at Pelee National Park during spring migration. I was guided to another nesting pair a few years ago by other birders, but would never have found them on my own. To have one land so close and unexpectedly was the highlight of my week. I returned several times to observe the pair who appeared to be nesting in an old stump on private property. I never did see a Bluebird.

Pileated Woodpecker (m)

   Woodpeckers were plentiful on the one kilometer stretch near the camp. Northern Flickers were most common, along with Downy Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers. I found a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a few Pileated Woodpeckers as well. 

Hairy Woodpecker

   

Downy Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers look much the same and can be confusing to identify. The Hairy Woodpecker is 50% larger and also has a longer beak, but their colouring is almost identical. I found both birds in one tree but could not get a picture in the same frame.

Northern Flicker

  

   Northern Flickers are crazily beautiful, mixing patterns;- polka dots, stripes, a necktie and red cap- with flourish. They will forage in lawns and roadsides and do not feed strictly in "woodpecker" fashion. Flickers are common in suburban neighbourhoods, and their call is very distinctive. I have seen them feeding in our lawn with a flock of robins while looking very inconspicuous. 

   I have seen all but one of the woodpeckers of Southern Ontario. I am still looking for a Black-backed Woodpecker, a non-migratory bird of boreal forests and previous burned woodlands. Perhaps I will come across it inadvertently one of these days.