Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Northern Flicker

Sunday morning was bright and sunny and that seemed to bring out many more birds than I've seen lately on the West Bay Walkway. While I was busily photographing the robins and the chickadees, I suddenly noticed this Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) posing on a nearby boulder. I've been waiting for about three years to get a shot of this bird like this and just happened to have everything set up just right to capture it. Good thing I was ready because with the usual shyness of flickers, this one took flight within a few seconds.
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5 comments:

  1. Leeds daily photoDecember 13, 2011 at 1:41 AM

    Nicely caught. Not heard of this bird before, thought it looked a bit like a woodpecker.

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  2. s.cDecember 13, 2011 at 2:57 AM

    Great shot. Good of you. Like it very much.

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  3. JoJoDecember 13, 2011 at 5:39 AM

    They are beautiful birds that's for sure, but destructive. We don't have them here in MA that I know of, just your regular small woodpeckers.

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  4. Dean LewisDecember 13, 2011 at 11:23 AM

    Excellent capture of a beautiful bird! I believe an earlier shot you had a year or two ago showed how the ermineskin chest markings are remarkably heart-shaped.
    With the gold under the wings and tail, I think the Northern Flicker also goes by the name Yellow-shafted Flicker, and is a member of the woodpecker family.
    What an exotic bird, and a good-sized one as well.
    Congratulations on getting this shot.

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  5. JabbaDecember 17, 2011 at 10:54 PM

    I remember the first time I saw a flicker, I couldn't believe my eyes! This is a gorgeous photo.

    ReplyDelete

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