Red-breasted Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus ruber

Appearance:
Medium-sized woodpecker
Red head and breast
Yellowish-white belly
Black upperparts with white barring
White stripe on sides
Two rows of whitish bars on back
Juvenile:
   Brown head
   Extensive brown mottled on underparts

Listen to its call.

I went for a walk through Royal Roads Forest today and it was glorious. The weather was perfect, the company was delightful and I added another bird to my list of sightings. I have to credit my husband with catching sight of this woodpecker near the top of a rather tall snag.

Learn more about the Red-breasted Sapsucker

Northern Flicker - yellow-shafted

 Colaptes auratus auratus

Appearance:
Large woodpecker
Brown back with narrow black bars
Black chest patch
Black spots on belly
White rump
Yellow under wings and tail
Grey head
Brown face and throat
Red crescent on nape of neck
Black moustache (male)

Listen to its call.

Yellow-shafted Flickers reside in eastern North American while the Red-shafted ones reside in the west. So, you can imagine my surprise to see one with a yellow tail at my backyard feeder this morning.  In the picture below, you can just see the red crescent on the nape of her neck. Note the absence of a moustache.

Learn more about the Northern Flicker.

Acorn Woodpecker

Melanerpes formicivorus

Appearance:
Medium-sized woodpecker
Mostly black upper parts
White belly with black streaking White rump
Black wings with white patches
Creamy-white face
Black around bill and eyes
White eye
Male
- Red cap starting at the white forehead
Female (photographed)
- Black area between the forehead and red cap

Listen to its call.

I was browsing through the Rare Bird Alert early today when I read about a number of sightings of this bird, a first for Vancouver Island. Excited about getting a new bird for my blog, I grabbed my camera and went to try my luck at spotting her. And I was lucky enough to do just that. To be fair, I wasn't the first one to catch sight of her sitting quietly in a tree enjoying the sunshine. 

Learn more about the Acorn Woodpecker.

Hairy Woodpecker

Picoides villosus

Appearance:
Medium-sized woodpecker
Long chisel-like bill
White and black striped face
White underparts
Black upperparts with white bars on wings
White stripe down center of back
White outer tail features
Male - Red patch on back of head broken by a vertical black line connecting the crown and nape

Listen to its call.

I've been having a heck of a time finding one of these birds. I've often wondered if I had seen one on occasion only to mistake it for a Downy Woodpecker, as the two species look so similar in pictures. However, having finally seen the real thing in my backyard, I was struck by how much larger this bird is than the Downy. The bill is also significantly longer.

Learn more about the Hairy Woodpecker. 

Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

 

Appearance:
Very large woodpecker
Mostly black
Red crest
White stripe on neck
White under wings
Forehead and moustache 

    > red (male) / black (female)

Listen to its call.

male

female

                    









When I awoke at 7:45 this morning, I was a little disappointed. I had wanted to join the Saturday morning bird walk but would never make it for the 8:00 start time. Instead, I lay in bed for a while longer before getting up to start my day. As I was brushing my teeth, I glanced out the bathroom window and saw this bird on a large pine tree just outside. I quickly grabbed my camera, which is always at the ready, and began to snap pictures. Soon it was joined by its mate and the two of them took turns chipping away at the bark of the tree between visits to our log feeder. As I watched, other birds began arriving at the feeders. Within twenty minutes, I had seen three woodpeckers (two Pileated and one Downy), three Spotted Towhees, one Bewick’s Wren, one Varied Thrush, a few sparrows of different varieties, three or four finches, the regular Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Oregon Juncos, and, of course, two squirrels and a rabbit. I know what you’re thinking but, no, I didn’t see a partridge out there (or a pear tree either for that matter). Anyway, who needs to get up early to hunt for birds when I’ve got such a parade right outside my window. You've got to love Victoria!

Learn more about the Pileated Woodpecker.

Northern Flicker - red-shafted

Colaptes auratus cafer

Appearance:
Large woodpecker
Brown back with narrow black bars

Black chest patch
Black spots on belly
White rump
Red under wings and tail
Gray face
Brown crown
Red 'moustache' stripe (male)

Listen to its call.

This fellow has been seen in our yard numerous times within recent weeks. He's usually perched on one of our large pine trees, although I've also seen him at our feeder on a couple of occasions. Northern flickers have long barbed tongues to lap up their prey. So, now I know who's been gobbling up the bark butter so quickly.

Learn more about the Northern Flicker.

Additional photos:

female -

Downy Woodpecker

Picoides pubescens

Appearance:
Small woodpecker
White and black striped face
Short bill
Red patch on back of head (male)
White under parts
Black upper parts with white bars on wings
White stripe down center of back

Listen to its call.

Looking for a bit of protection from the wind, I decided to avoid the water today and check out the woods behind our house instead. I didn't have far to go. This bird was foraging for food just outside our gate. He was climbing around the trees, moving up and down the trunks quickly, as well as on the smaller branches. One of the advantages of his size, no doubt.



And a bit of trivia .... The Downy’s name refers to the soft white feathers of the stripe on its back.

Learn more about the Downy Woodpecker.

female: