One Flock of Flickers....

...and a partridge in a pear tree. A Flock of Flickers is not in the old Christmas carol but it sounds like it could be. It seems that Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus), though I've only seen single birds or couples in the spring and summer, like to flock in larger numbers in the winter. There's only one visible in this photo (upper right) but there were four of them altogether foraging for insects in the Matson Lands above the West Bay Walkway. Like other members of the woodpecker family Flickers seek out insects in tree bark but they also forage for bugs on the ground. Perhaps that's the reason we see more of them in the city than other members of the family. (NOT the greatest bird photo but I didn't have a telephoto lens with me that day.)

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.

Indian Plums, Snickering Squirrel and the Elusive Northern Flicker

When I photographed the flowers of the Indian Plum earlier this spring I read that one rarely sees the fruit since it is a favorite food for wild birds. This is not surprising since it comes so early - right now there are no other wild fruits or berries to eat. I can also see why it is not a part of our diet - these lovely little fruits are only about the size of a pea. Shortly after photographing these I noticed the squirrel on the left below.

Why do I think the squirrel is snickering? I suspect it is because he knows I will fail once again to get a good clear photo of the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) (right). I have dozens of photos of parts of Northern Flickers. They are very shy and have an unerring sense of anyone watching them. They always manage to be partly hidden behind the trunk of a tree or a branch as in this photo and seldom perch for long in a wholly unobstructed fashion.

I might not be so obsessed with Northern Flickers if it were not for the tiny hearts that cover their breasts. (Click the photo to enlarge it and you will see what I mean.)