View allAll Photos Tagged flicker
A bathtub blind shot from two winters ago.
This bird has the characteristic head markings of a male Yellow-shafted Flicker, but the wings show red markings characteristic of a Red-shafted Flicker. It might be an intergrade individual.
Edmonton, Alberta.
When the babies scrabble up their tree cavity and meet their parents at the entrance to be fed, you can know that leaving the nest can't be far behind....
And sure enough, a couple of days later, all activity (the calling, the constant chittering from inside the tree, and the parents busily going out (with poop) and coming back with food) suddenly was silenced. They all fledged without me even noticing...
On the side of the trail last week, as I neared home following my walk to the park, this Northern Flicker, hungry enough to not mind my presence.
This will be the last of the Flicker imagers. It has been included to demonstrate Flickers have tongues longer than other Woodpecker allowing them to harvest ants, one of their major sources of calories. For the serious birders, these are Yellow-Shafted Flickers.
Pennypack Environmental Trust.
Many thanks to all who take the time to view, comment and faved my images. Enjoy the day.
Wikipedia: The northern flicker or common flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate. Over 100 common names for the northern flicker are known, including yellowhammer (not to be confused with the Eurasian yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)), clape, gaffer woodpecker, harry-wicket, heigh-ho, wake-up, walk-up, wick-up, yarrup, and gawker bird. Many of these names derive from attempts to imitate some of its calls. It is the state bird of Alabama.
Conservation status: Least Concern
I heard a knocking sound outside our house. We've continued to have occasional visits to our siding by the nuthatches, so I went out to see if they were at it again. But, no, this time it was a flicker working the dead center column of our big leaf maple tree. It'd be great if we get flickerlings!