June 1st - Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker

"Northern Flickers are large, brown woodpeckers with a gentle expression and handsome black-scalloped plumage. On walks, don’t be surprised if you scare one up from the ground. It’s not where you’d expect to find a woodpecker, but flickers eat mainly ants and beetles, digging for them with their unusual, slightly curved bill. When they fly you’ll see a flash of color in the wings – yellow if you’re in the Midwest (hence the name!)– and a bright white flash on the rump. The song of the Northern Flicker is a loud wick wick wick wick or a squeaky flick-a, flick-a as in it's name."

Now that I know what I'm looking at, I'll keep my eyes and ears open!

06.01.09