34 replies to this topic

[Baljean]

Live in suburban Ohio with deciduous woods for a backyard and mulitple feeders. Bird was spotted clinging to a large tree trunk, so I saw only its back, and it was gone when I returned w/ camera. Appeared solid dull black or slate-colored like a junco. As big if not bigger than a red-bellied woodpecker. The surprise was a red--as in maroon-colored-- ring around back of neck.

[Lenapelee]

NOT IN YOUR RANGE BUT DESCRIPTION SOUNDS LIKE WHITE HEADED wp

[meghann]

Try Northern Flicker.

[Seattle]

Welcome to Whatbird!

[jdeitsch]

Try Northern Flicker.

I would tend to agree!

[BarnSwallow]

Agree with northern flicker. They can appear dark and unmarked. Did you happen to see a white patch above its tail when it flew? Or yellow under the wings?

[Baljean]

NOT IN YOUR RANGE BUT DESCRIPTION SOUNDS LIKE WHITE HEADED wp

Thanks. The only picture that came close in bird books was a Lewis Woodpecker, but it also is way out of my locale.

[Baljean]

Thanks for input. This was the only other guess I had, but all of the pictures of Flickers look so colorful, and this bird was not (except for the neck ring--and even that was not a bright red. It departed so I didn't see it in flight. Honestly, it looked most like a Lewis' Woodpecker if you substitute neck color, but I know that can't be. There are about 20 different types of birds that frequent my yard, but I have never seen a Flicker before. Even tho' this bird is listed as a "bird of Ohio," would this be the type of bird that would just be passing through (I'm in Cincinnati)?...Just shocked by the novelty.

[cestma]

Here's a shot I once got of a flicker in the rain, looking pretty drab:

[BarnSwallow]

Yeah, I've seen quite a few pics where they look pretty plain. It should be pretty common in Ohio, but that doesn't mean you'll see them all the time. I've seen them a lot in my yard, but haven't seen one in a year or so.

[Baljean]

Here's a shot I once got of a flicker in the rain, looking pretty drab:

Wow! Don't know which is more impressive--the photograph or the bird! I was dubious until I saw the coloring from your photo. Surely that is what I saw. Thanks also for the photography inspiration as I have been taking winter bird shots with today's latest snow, but this photo is more than humbling.

[cestma]

Wow! Don't know which is more impressive--the photograph or the bird! I was dubious until I saw the coloring from your photo. Surely that is what I saw. Thanks also for the photography inspiration as I have been taking winter bird shots with today's latest snow, but this photo is more than humbling.

Aw, gee, the only skill involved was keeping the lens dry...But thank you for the most gratifying response--made my day.

You have, however, abetted one of my worst habits, which is to hang onto all sorts of less than ideal shots in the rationale that some day it may be handy to have a shot under X conditions or from Y angle...

I've had a lot of flickers this year and agree that they can vary in appearance enormously. Have some shots from underneath, on sunny days, in which they look almost tropically ornate, all those dots & the bright yellow, patterned tail...

[sailormom64]

You have, however, abetted one of my worst habits, which is to hang onto all sorts of less than ideal shots in the rationale that some day it may be handy to have a shot under X conditions or from Y angle...

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Same here, I have way way too many of those pics that I keep just in case I might need them from this or that angle! And as you have proven, it does come in handy! Takes up a lot of space!

[cestma]

Takes up a lot of space!

And that's the problem! Well, that & the fact that my cataloging habits are so bad that I can hardly find what I want when I want it, anyway--assuming I remember I have it in the first place.

[Baljean]

Aw, gee, the only skill involved was keeping the lens dry...But thank you for the most gratifying response--made my day.

You have, however, abetted one of my worst habits, which is to hang onto all sorts of less than ideal shots in the rationale that some day it may be handy to have a shot under X conditions or from Y angle...

I've had a lot of flickers this year and agree that they can vary in appearance enormously. Have some shots from underneath, on sunny days, in which they look almost tropically ornate, all those dots & the bright yellow, patterned tail...

Since you have seen lots of flickers, and this is my first (and only from the back side), how do I draw them onto my property? I added a suet feeder w/berries in the front yard w/the hopes that would be inducement, but no luck so far. Admittedly, I saw it in the back woods the first time, but it was so well-camouflaged and distanced from the feeders, I wanted to draw it closer to the house where I could see one closer and hopefully photograph all that spectacular plumage.
Lastly, is this birding hobby normal? My friends think I am crazy spending hours looking at birds. What started as just a casual thing to do seems to becoming an obsession. (I think I answered my own question. )

[Baljean]

Since you have seen lots of flickers, and this is my first (and only from the back side), how do I draw them onto my property? I added a suet feeder w/berries in the front yard w/the hopes that would be inducement, but no luck so far. Admittedly, I saw it in the back woods the first time, but it was so well-camouflaged and distanced from the feeders, I wanted to draw it closer to the house where I could see one closer and hopefully photograph all that spectacular plumage.
Lastly, is this birding hobby normal? My friends think I am crazy spending hours looking at birds. What started as just a casual thing to do seems to becoming an obsession. (I think I answered my own question. )

P.S. If you have other photos you feel like sharing, I'd love to see them.

[BarnSwallow]

Yes, definitely not normal! I often stop in the middle of a sentence if I see a bird, and will randomly say the name of a bird flying by, in mid-sentence. My daughter's gotten used to it, especially when I'm giving her a riding lesson. "So I want you to canter down that line and PILEATED WOODPECKER continue around to the brush."

[hawkhenries]

Yes, definitely not normal! I often stop in the middle of a sentence if I see a bird, and will randomly say the name of a bird flying by, in mid-sentence. My daughter's gotten used to it, especially when I'm giving her a riding lesson. "So I want you to canter down that line and PILEATED WOODPECKER continue around to the brush."

You sound just like my wife, daughters and !!

[cestma]

@ BarnSwallow--LOL!! Too true.

P.S. If you have other photos you feel like sharing, I'd love to see them.

Oh, so many unsorted/evaluated shots! I did find a file of 3 flicker urls that I uploaded for other threads, tho, the first for a thread about 'do they come to feeders,' and a second talking about the visual differences in red-shafted vs. yellow-shafted varieties. Please bear in mind that there are zillions of better photographers on this site!

Flicker at feeder



Northern Flicker--showing yellow shafts






As to attracting them...IME, they only rarely come to feeders. I am lucky enough to live on 20 acres in the country with lots of old field/fencerow habitat. Aside from the fencerow trees, I see flickers most commonly on freshly mown areas, either our so-called lawn, or the path we mow around the edge of the field. They are known to forage on ants.

[Lenapelee]

I Fondly call it Birders Turrets