Many people call this one a red-headed woodpecker...and they are wrong. This is actually a red-bellied woodpecker, an odd name for a bird that usually doesn't appear to have a red belly.
The next one is a male downy woodpecker...I think. (I can't find my bird-identification field guide.)
Coming up tomorrow: A beautiful visual update on Ms. Hopper.
Morning update: Here is a link that allows you to listen to the sound of several different woodpeckers, another great aid in identifying them. (They're listed under Tree-Clinging Birds.)http://www.enature.com/birding/audio.asp
Hmmmm...the red headed woodpecker that visited me didn't have a speckled back. It's back was more solid black, any idea what kind it might have been? I guess I need to find a good bird indentification site to help with id's. Today when I came home there was 15 doves at my feeder, man they are flighty! lol Everytime I step out on the deck to take a better look at them they disappear. In the summer time I love to sit out on the deck early in the morning and hear them cooing off in the distance. :)
ReplyDeleteMikey
It probably WAS a true red-headed woodpecker, which, as far as I know, is seen less frequently in Ohio than the red-bellied one. Google the two birds; they do not look very similar to one another.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the closest match I found was called a "Pileated Woodpecker". I didn't realize there were so many different woodpeckers. Maybe I'll get lucky and get a picture of it if it ever returns to my feeder. I need to stop by Lowes this evening and pick up some more seed, weather forecast is call for 4"-6" snow between this morning and tomorrow...yuck!! lol
ReplyDeleteMikey