10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2011

The typical woodpecker, with its coloration of black, white, and red, is ingrained into our brains as birders. We all have our familiar species and we all know our local woodpeckers well enough that a quick glimpse is often all we need to identify them. … a.

Woodpeckers 268

Woodpeckers Pennsylvania Rights Species 268

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2018

You probably know that I live where we have many, many woodpeckers. One of the most abundant woodpeckers in Oak Run , where I live, is the Acorn Woodpecker ( Melanerpes formicivorus ). During all these years I have never had woodpeckers of any species feeding at my hummingbird feeders, so I found this very odd.

Woodpeckers 102

Woodpeckers California Killing Research 102

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2015

The Nuttall’s Woodpecker’s ( Picoides nattallii ) diet consists mainly of (about 80%) insects, primarily captured by probing and gleaning from tree bark. I first became aware of the bird’s presence when I heard the unmistakable raspy flight call this species utters, usually as it moves from one location to another.

Woodpeckers 194

Woodpeckers California Birds Species 194

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2013

This is a Green-barred Woodpecker , common and widespread throughout South America to the south of the Amazon River and to the east of the Andes. This form is thought to be a different species and the name Golden-bellied Woodpecker has been adopted by some.

Woodpeckers 165

Woodpeckers Argentina South America Adoptable 165

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2015

Well, I never did see a Black-backed Woodpecker on my trip, but they were on my mind… What could be more straightforward than the naming of woodpeckers? The name woodpecker itself is a basic behavioral description. Here are birds that peck at wood. The exceptions are still mighty prosaic.

North America 155

North America Woodpeckers America Family 155

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2011

Picus viridis , the European Green Woodpecker is a bird that I longed to see during my early days as a feeder watcher. Green Woodpeckers prefer to eat ants and will more usually be found feeding on the ground in fields and rough pasture than at a feeding table. A common encounter with P.

Woodpeckers 168

Woodpeckers Ireland 2011 2010 168

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2024

I could imagine that timing the earlier emergence of insect prey at the breeding grounds is particularly problematic for insectivorous species. I spent some time sitting on the lawn and watching an Eurasian Green Woodpecker forage around me. If this wouldn’t be enough, climate change has stark effects on migration patterns.

Soreing 174

Soreing Owls Woodpeckers Eagles 174

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia, offers several great birding spots and here are some recommendations for areas to go birding in and around the city, how to get there by public transport, and some of the bird species you might expect to see. It is home to almost a hundred bird species, including woodpeckers and songbirds.

Transported 255

Transported Woodpeckers Birds Serbia 255

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2017

Black Woodpeckers are usually easy to find in Germany. However, even in the age of alternative facts, there is no denying it: Here in Germany, Black Woodpeckers are no big deal. However, even in the age of alternative facts, there is no denying it: Here in Germany, Black Woodpeckers are no big deal. Well, they are big.

Germany 100

Germany Woodpeckers Luxembourg North America 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2024

I was very glad to see some different species to the ones I have seen in the recent months, quite refreshing after having spent a significant amount of my birding time in the local park (see my last post , amongst others…).”I The area is a military training ground and as a result, some areas are inaccessible.

Woodpeckers 208

Woodpeckers Species Rights Birds 208

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2024

and I would like to take good photos of this species. The waterbirds were fun to watch, as they often are at this park, and all the standard species were there particularly Mallard , Common Pochard and Tufted Duck (you might have noticed I mention Tufted Ducks a lot in my posts – I’m not sure why but I really like this species!)

Birds 166

Birds Germany Ducks Woodpeckers 166

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2014

As I got out of my car, about fifty feet from Manzanita Lake, I heard the loud drumming of a woodpecker. I didn’t know what species of woodpecker it was, but I knew it was just in the clearing on the other side of the road. A Conservation Strategy for the Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) in California.

Woodpeckers 170

Woodpeckers California South Dakota Chad 170

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

Why would I call these beautiful woodpeckers the “clowns of the avian world?” ” Besides the facial features of the Acorn Woodpecker ( Melanerpes formicivorus ) appearing somewhat clown-like, they are a joy to watch and some of their antics are sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face. www.youtube.com/watch?

Woodpeckers 184

Woodpeckers Breeders Groups North America 184

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2011

Short answer: The woodpecker is most likely not crazy and noshing on the house is not what the woodpecker has in mind. Woodpeckers could be pecking on homes for a variety of reasons, all of which can drive a non birder a bit batty. So, why do woodpeckers peck on human made structures?

Woodpeckers 261

Woodpeckers Owls Blackbirds Raised 261

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2024

No question about it being a woodpecker – a most beautiful one at that! This Red-necked Woodpecker gave us a good look before gliding to a slightly further tree. No longer than a minute after we parted ways with the Red-headed Woodpecker , we heard another light tapping overhead.

Guyana 217

Guyana Woodpeckers Industry Shelters 217

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2011

On a recent trip down memory lane in the form of searching through old photos from my trip to Honduras I serendipitously stumbled upon a series of shots of a woodpecker feeding from flower blossoms in a tree. If you know more than me about this woodpecker please leave a comment and help me figure out what the heck this bird is!

Woodpeckers 154

Woodpeckers Honduras Groups Mexico 154

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2013

A birding friend of mine listed nesting White-headed Woodpeckers ( Picoides albolarvatus ) on the local Shasta County listserve so I thought I’d head up to Lassen Park to check it out. White-headed Woodpecker Male. Yah, another western species. Why are they found only in this habitat?

Woodpeckers 154

Woodpeckers North America America Eggs 154

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2016

Red-cockaded Woodpecker. It also meant Red-cockaded Woodpeckers could be nearby. Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are rare. As a result of development and loss of their habitat, their populations have vastly declined , and they have been listed as a federally Endangered Species. I had to agree.

Woodpeckers 101

Woodpeckers Rhode Island Florida Endangered Species 101

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2014

Perhaps our outrage at invasive species can be a bit hypocritical at times. Listers are quick to put aside their condemnation of invasive species once they attain that coveted status of exotic: not native, not fully naturalized, but established well enough to be countable by the prevailing authority. That’s where we come in.

Species 160

Species Feral Cats Feral Miami 160

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2023

If you have much interest in birds, you may well have seen videos of the very comical mating dance of male Red-capped Manakins , a species whose range stretches from southeast Mexico to South America. For example, highland Michoacán has two gorgeous trogon species. This tree’s roots can be pretty cool, too.

Mexico 166

Mexico Woodpeckers South America Species 166

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2018

And hey, speaking of empire – is there any more beautiful clap-back to European colonization than the fact that various species of psittacine, exploited and stolen and in so many cases extirpated by eager collectors, have now become noisily acclimatized free-flying life forms in the parks of Brooklyn and San Francisco and especially London?

Species 101

Species San Francisco Rats Zebras 101

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Sadly, the HBW states that the species is “almost extinct in some areas in China owing to hunting and trapping for the cagebird trade and taxidermy” The Maroon Oriole looks much more interesting, though my photos do not really do it full justice. This Great Spotted Woodpecker isn’t even trying to hide its spots.

Nepal 160

Nepal Birds Owls Fish 160

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Woodpeckers and finches The top of the city would be the highest peak of the Avala Mountain Reserve (511 m / 1700 ft above sea level), with the Memorial to the Unknown Hero and overgrown with firs and pines. In Belgrade, Serbia, winter months offer surprisingly good birding possibilities. Photo Snezana Panjkovic.

Serbia 297

Serbia Birds Woodpeckers Ducks 297

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

There was one odd reprint in 2018, when the Subalpine Warbler was split into the Eastern and Western species, but the changes in the guide weren’t sufficient to call it a 3rd edition, so it remained the updated reprint of the 2nd edition. Another difference, an odd one, some woodpeckers gained weight, could it be a time to consider a diet?

Europe 253

Europe Birds Woodpeckers Ireland 253

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2024

According to my list, which somehow ended up being the official group list, we saw 41 species in about four hours. Two other species also warmed my California-boy heart. Finally, a birder up front cried out, “A Pileated Woodpecker !”, 11 were new for my California lifelist. Both were welcome additions.

San Francisco 174

San Francisco California Woodpeckers Experience 174

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2023

It covers 403 species: 172 nonpasserine species and 231 passerine species in the Species Accounts, 198 species beautifully illustrated by the author in the Plates section. The scarcity of information on the young of some avian species is astounding. and three of the nine woodpeckers illustrated.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 255

Wildlife Rehabilitation Birds Family Collecting 255

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2024

With the lack of trees, it was a surprise that a woodpecker is still taking up space. In one stretch of rocky outcropping, a group of Ground Woodpeckers foraged along boulders searching for ants and as their name suggests, they forage on the ground in sparsely vegetated country.

Lesotho 223

Lesotho Sheep South Africa Africa 223

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2022

In pastures of the hot lowlands, they tend to be lines of stunted Gumbo-Limbo trees or some other heavily pruned species. In addition to those birds and the Squirrel Cuckoo pictured above, the following are some of the more common hedgerow species of Costa Rica. Hoffmann’s Woodpecker. Yellow-bellied Elaenia.

Costa Rica 259

Costa Rica Birds Sparrows Woodpeckers 259

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2023

Last year, in November, I notched up a dozen species of butterflies, an impressive total anywhere in Europe so late in the year. In the UK we have a mere three resident woodpeckers, but in the vicinity of Kerkini it’s not difficult to find all of Europe’s peckers except the Three-toed. Despite appearances, they are remarkably docile.

Greece 208

Greece Pelicans Geese Buffalo 208

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

And what better way to do it than to fortuitously come upon a fruiting tree being attended to by a multitude of species? When we got there, it was still too dark to distinguish species feeding in the canopy. Cocoa Woodcreepers are the largest species of woodcreeper on the island and are much more often heard than seen.

Trinidad 277

Trinidad Birds Woodpeckers Species 277

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2024

Although an attractive bird, this species was not of particular interest to me as I’ve seen it countless times when I lived in South Africa (and is not present there at this time of year anyway), but the area has much more on offer. A Grey-headed Woodpecker called from a clump of trees that also held a Mistle Thrush.

Squirrels 196

Squirrels South Africa Germany Ducks 196

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2021

A Hairy Woodpecker ? I soon added Common Mergansers , Hooded Mergansers , Mallards, Hairy and Downy and Pileated and Red-bellied Woodpeckers , both White and Red-breasted Nuthatches , and American Crows. By the time I left the state at the end of January to head back south, I had added 26 species to my 2021 list. But still!

Florida 198

Florida ALA Birds Woodpeckers 198

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2021

Still, the outing did not produce any new species for the year, or enough good photos for a post here. Instead, I have chosen to write about an idea I’ve had percolating for a while: to tell you what the most common species are down here. I’ll take the most common native species in taxonomic order.

Woodpeckers 326

Woodpeckers Mexico Cattle Species 326

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2022

Working man that I still am, I can not yet spend every day of January trying to build my year list of species. But in winter, one of its major species is a migrant with a wonderfully quirky name: the Lucifer Hummingbird. The second photo below is the best I’ve ever managed of this rather drab species. And I do mean showy.

Woodpeckers 159

Woodpeckers Mexico Species Family 159

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2024

Acorn Woodpecker and Black-crested Titmouse were plentiful and confiding. That day, he limited himself to showing us Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Rose-throated Becard, Grey-collared Becard, Spot-breasted Wren, Olive Sparrow, Hepatic Tanager, Blue Bunting and Stripe-crowned Warbler.

Parrots 157

Parrots Woodpeckers Industry Fast Food 157

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2023

Even better, just a few meters away from the food vendors, it is not too crowded, and the palm trees attract a number of birds, including two species of parrots. That is mainly the Philippines, as indicated by the species name lucionensis (Luzon is the Philippines’ biggest island). The first one is the Blue-naped Parrot.

Malaysia 242

Malaysia Philippines Parrots Birds 242

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2022

For once, eBird gives a good description of the Asian Glossy Starling, calling it a “Fierce-looking, large songbird” As are humans, this species is fairly urbanized – it “sometimes enters urban areas to roost, e.g. in Singapore” (HBW). “Odd, me?” But the joke simply does not work then).

Singapore 218

Singapore Birds Zebras Feral 218