6 July 2008

Here’s a bird you don’t see every day.

On the Fourth of July I hiked a section of State Gameland #95 in northern Butler County.  I was about to head back to the car when I decided to push a little further to the lake at Slippery Rock Creek.

On the way there I saw a flash of white among the dead snags in the swamp.  So many times I’ve watched the same flash and movement in the 2005 video of the ivory-billed woodpecker that my first reaction was a gasp.  It can’t be!

Well, of course it wasn’t. 

It was a red-headed woodpecker, a much smaller bird whose flight characteristics and white back are reminiscent of the ivory-billed.  Red-headed woodpeckers are unusual nonetheless.  I was very happy to see this one.

The woodpecker sat still for a while.  Then he zoomed up, hawked a large bug out of the air, carried it to a tree trunk and hammered it dead.  I thought he was going to cache it in a crevice, but he carried his prize to a nest hole and poked his head in.  Wow!  This bird has kids.

After dropping off the food he flew back to his perching snag and harassed a northern flicker along the way.  As soon as he perched he was almost invisible.  I would never have noticed him if he hadn’t flown.

When I got home I did some research and was amazed to discover I’d seen most of the red-headed woodpecker’s notable characteristics in one brief moment:

• Red-headed woodpeckers are conspicuous in flight with their jazzy red, black and white tuxedos.
• They are expert flycatchers but will also eat mast (tree nuts), waste grain, fruit, bird eggs, just about anything.
• They fly with powerful flapping (like the ivory-billed woodpecker) not undulating flight like most woodpeckers.
• They rely on areas of dead trees for nesting.  Their population increased when the chestnut blight killed so many trees.
• They sit still for long periods of time.
• They are the most pugnacious North American woodpecker, aggressive toward many birds including northern flickers.
• They are said to have a playful nature.   (How this accords with aggression, I don’t know.)
• In fall they migrate during the day, wandering in search of mast.
• They’re one of only four woodpeckers who store food.
• Their population is erratic and declining.

So if you see a red-headed woodpecker, count yourself lucky to see such pizazz.  I do.

(photo by Chuck Tague)