Showing posts with label Red-bellied Woodpecker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Red-bellied Woodpecker. Show all posts
Saturday, April 13, 2024
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Saturday, February 10, 2024
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Red-bellied Woodpecker
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is common in mature deciduous forest of most of the eastern part of the US, but that turns to mixed pine forests in the south. The range is moving north, as many other species are, where it responds to bird feeders more often.
churrrr-churrrrr-churrrr!
This woodpecker has a red nape and a rarely visible red wash on the belly, which is odd that it would be named after that minor characteristic. It is more well known for zebra like stripes across its back and the scarlet red nape, with the male's full red cowl. The zebra woodpecker is well constructed with a chisel shaped bill and barbed tongue, which serves it well at extricating its favorite insects from trees. If it finds small fish, nestlings, eggs, fruit, nuts or mice, it will eat them, too. Its food pleasures are unlimited, even down to other species' nestlings, lizards, and acorns.
Adult Male Red-bellied Woodpecker
Boomer Lake Park, 2016
The European Starling will watch from other trees as well as from the cavity tree and take the finished hollow away from the zebra-backs that have spent days on excavating it. Then they will quietly go about constructing another hole in the same tree, either above or below the original, when they find that they are unable to take their first orifice back.
The tongue can extend two inches from the bill in order to extract insects from their hiding places in cracks within tree bark. They prefer snags or dying trees for both foraging and nesting. They opt for eating the emerald ash borer if they can get it, but also rely heavily on beetles and other boring insects.
Female Red-bellied Woodpecker
Boomer Creek, 2016
Woodpeckers in general provide nest holes for several other species that need an abandoned cavity. This includes the Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, wrens, and Eastern Bluebirds. Not only do they use trees, but they will also make cavities in telephone poles or fenceposts. Sometimes they will even drum upon the wooden siding of a residence in order to simply claim territory, shake insects loose, or even make an attempt for a chamber.
Juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker
Boomer Creek, 2016
Red bellied-woodpeckers and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, which are more commonly found in Texas, cross the state line and will hybridize in western parts of Oklahoma. If you are in that area, look closely to ascertain what you might have, as the two species are easily confused.
Sunday, February 4, 2018
January's Birds of Boomer
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Adult Cooper's Hawk
Northern Mockingbird
Female Belted Kingfisher
Brown Creeper
Northern Cardinal
on bradford pear tree
Red-shouldered Hawk
Ring-necked Duck
January 2018
The weather was very unsettled and very dry this month. However, there were a few warmer
and springlike days where there was a little action.
The White-fronted Goose was on Boomer Creek just off Goose Island with a Canada Goose pal, and there appeared to be more Cackling Geese than usual for the month, even though there was so little
cold weather. There lake barely froze this winter.
This also means that it is highly likely that with unseasonable weather there will be a greater amount of feeder bird illness this winter. This will bear watching and most likely a lot of feeder cleaning and seed changing to keep up with this problem.
Hawks have been visiting the area frequently, so there could be a need to stop feeding for a period of time, as songbirds could easily fall victim to a swift and hungry hawk.
A few ducks have been visiting with us on and off, for they prefer colder weather.
Many songbirds seem to be affected by the springlike weather that has been with us. Will we have an early spring with early birds? Time will tell, but it appears rather probably. Now all we need is a few
good rains to give us a good crop of spring fruit.
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Winter Birds Bring Good Fortune to Boomer Lake
American Goldfinch
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Herring Gull
Dark-eyed Junco (slate colored)
American Robin
Female Downy Woodpecker
Northern Mockingbird
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Ditto, Surrounded by Ring-billed Gulls
American Kestrel at Magruder Plots, OSU
Warbling Vireo Nest
Adult (RIGHT) and Juvenile (LEFT)
Herring Gulls in Rear
12-28-16 through 01-01-17
Temperatures during this period of time were relatively warm for this time of year, unlike what
had just rudely dominated our early mornings.
There were standard birds in our midst, like the American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Juncos, the
Carolina Chickadee and Wrens, Bewick's Wren, Song Sparrows, and other winter sparrows.
As luck had it, there were other gulls among the mix at Boomer Lake, like the more common Herring Gull, adults having a red spot on the lower bill, and are larger than the yellow-legged Ring-billed Gulls, which really do have a black ring around the front of the bill.
A European gull that is getting to be more common in the area, was willing to be photographed, the Lesser Black-backed Gull.
While a friend and I went to Magruder experimental wheat fields at OSU, we had high hopes to see
a couple of different longspurs, but there were none. There were plenty of Eastern and Western Meadowlarks on New Year's Day, as well as Eastern Bluebirds, and a gorgeous male American Kestrel.
This is the time of year for al the woodpeckers to make nest cavities, choose a mate, and think about
laying eggs. A couple of representatives are shown here, the Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers.
There are several yellow-shafted Northern Flickers, including the rarer Red-shafted. We had a female last year and she has returned to us. I don't believe any of her young from last year were red-shafted, but just because I didn't see any, doesn't mean that there were none elsewhere.
Even though the Brown Pelican caught a southern tailwind after two weeks of reigning over Boomer Lake, all good things do come to an end. A Brown Pelican is a coastal bird used to salt water fish and warmer temperatures, so it was a rare fluke, but not totally out of the question during the tail end of an El Nino year.
We'll continue to seek out more uncommon birds this winter, and chances are good that more will be visiting with us.
Sunday, June 12, 2016
The Deep Woods of Boomer Creek and Green Herons Take Charge
Two Raccoon Kits
Oldest Fledgling Green Heron, Day 1
Green Heron Parent
Great Egret
Mother Raccoon
Eastern Phoebe
Green Heron Chicks, Day 2
Green Heron Chick
Oldest Green Heron Chick
Exercises Those Wings
Green Heron Chick
Just Fledged and Can Fly Respectably
Adult Red-bellied Woodpecker
Juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker
June 10/11, 2016
74-84 degrees F/0700-1025 hrs./partly cloudy/12 mph S winds
A good portion of these photos were taken in the deep woods of Boomer Creek, which
includes the raccoon family, Eastern Phoebe, Great Egret, and the Red-bellied Woodpeckers.
You have all been waiting for news of the Green Heron chicks, who are all doing very well.
As of this post today, there are four beautiful, healthy chicks. After a minor setback with an
uninitiated boater/fisherman that frightened them off, they have come back with a vengeance.
For starters, these chicks are three weeks earlier than those of last year. Secondly, the parents
are seasoned birds and know how to raise a family. As a matter of fact, they have done so well,
the youngsters were flying after two days out of the nest. The birds being viewed here are the first two chicks, the oldest of the clutch.
As you can see with these chicks, they have white, downy feathers on their heads, short wings, and
their breast and neck feathers are very streaked.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Pass Out the Cigars, We Are Parents!
Juvenile Red-winged Blackbird
Great Blue Heron
"Silent Sentinel Series"
Great-tailed Grackles(parent on left)
Male Baltimore Oriole
Green Heron
Great Egret
Red Eared Slider
Great Egret in Flight
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker
Great Egret
Juvenile Mallard
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow Form
Fledgling Green Heron
June 6 through June 9, 2016 photos
mean temperature average 71-83 degrees F/0650-0945 hrs./partly cloudy/10 mph S winds
The past several days were worth their weight in gold. There are plenty of young birds on the east
side of the lake, as well as Boomer Creek. An educated guess regarding youngsters is one hundred
to one hundred twenty birds, and that is a very conservative estimate. Everywhere one turns, the
sounds of food demands is heard. All one must do is look around and it isn't hard to see the bird
that belongs to the voice being heard.
The most prevalent fledges at the moment are those of the woodpecker family, which I had a grave
concern about over the winter, due to the European Starlings that tend to kill woodpeckers and take
over their cavities. I'm certain that some of this did occur, but there are good numbers of young
woodpeckers this year. It is a pleasure to report three Red-bellied Woodpeckers and six Taiga Northern Flickers on Boomer Creek alone, and that is without venturing into the wooded area.
Great Egrets have emerged from the rookery and are fishing on the main part of the lake. All of
these shots were obtained over a two day period with many more to follow as these birds are used
to me as a permanent fixture.
It is generally hard to find an Eastern Kingbird that will look you in the eye, but it can be done, as
photographed here.
This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail followed me at the creek until I photographed it, and it gave me
the perfect scenery for that. Butterflies have their time with my lens, too.
The best news I saved for last. We are parents again with young Green Herons! Pictures for the
second youngster, who fledged this morning will be coming soon. Congratulations to Green Heron
family #1!
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