Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Red Shafted Flickers

I am linking up my Red-Shafted Flickers with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

For this post I am going back to this summer and my vacation in Oregon. During our walk at the Ecola State Park we sighted two Red Shafted Flickers also known as Northern Flickers. Birders in the western US see the Red-shafted flicker and the Eastern states see the Yellow-shafted flicker.



The Northern Flicker is a member of the woodpecker family and is native to North America. 

The Red-shafted Flicker is red under the tail and underwings and have red shafts on their primaries. They have a beige cap and a grey face. Males have the red moustache.

 The flickers feed frequently on the ground, they probing with their beak. The eat fruits, berries, seeds and nuts. Ants alone can make up 45% of their diet.

Here is a link to a previous post on the Yellow-Shafted Northern Flickers from the East coast : Northern Flicker, the cavity nester . This post showed that they are cavity nesters.

To see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit: Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes.
Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday and thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes.

45 comments:

  1. Great shots of the flickers Eileen. I haven't seen this one (yellow shafted tho) as much in VT compared to CT.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such lovely birds Eileen! I rarely see Flickers although I know they are around here - they just hide from me :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice pictures you show of some beautiful birds.
    Ønser you a good day :)
    Hanne Bente

    ReplyDelete
  4. Really great post Eileen. Good info on the Flickers:) This is one of my favorite birds. The markings are so unusual and striking. The male and female have different "painted" streaks on their faces. And once in a great while....a Yellow comes our way:) I've been looking.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hallo Eileen!The Flickers birds looks cute!First time i see them!Your pictures are fantastic!Nice post!Wish you a lovely day my friend!
    Dimi..

    ReplyDelete
  6. They are beautiful.

    And they are proud of you, for showing them in your post.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ah, Oregon! I wondered why I had never heard of these before, What gorgeous birds, Eileen!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great photos of the flickers. I don't think I've ever seen one.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great captures, Eileen. I would love to see them around here.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I see the flicker here in the spring. Amazing that ants can be a big portion of their diet. That's a lot of ants.
    Great series Eileen!

    ReplyDelete
  11. i have been lucky to see both yellow and red shafted here! when i caught a male red-shafted on camera, i didn't even realize how special it was and called it a yellow-shafted.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your photos display their feather detail and color very nicely.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thats some great birds you have captured,you have so many sorts.


    peter

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh they are so beautiful!

    I saw two Northern Flickers in my yard this summer, and was happy :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have not come across this bird before so very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  16. So, so happy to see your summer flickers! I get flickers one day each fall. They come and eat, they stay the day, and then they are gone.

    Such a special sight to see, they are such a pretty bird!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great shots! I'm cold! Thank you for bring us back to summer. I'm so not ready for the winter that is coming. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. You got some great shots of the flickers! I see them sometimes around my lake too.
    Enjoy this nice sunny day.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Que aves tão belas! Muito obrigada por mostrá-las. Excelentes fotos. Ailime

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great photos of the flickers. Interesting to see them feeding on the ground like that.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Never seen either and I do appreciate the ID pointers. Wonderful captures!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh, that is one of a kind, the Northern Flickers are fantastic, brilliant photos.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Very nice images and good information! I love to see them in the yard as I know they're helping to control the ants!

    -Wally

    ReplyDelete
  24. What beautiful birds! Can't believe they eat so many ants. Crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Wonderful shots of the flickers. They are such beautiful birds.

    ReplyDelete
  26. What a pretty bird. I can't imagine eating an ant.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Thanks for introducing me to the Red-shafted Flicker Eileen. I've seen the Northern Flicker a few times but never this one. Wonderful photos!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Eileen, WOW! I think that these woodpeckers are perhaps even more handsome than their Eastern cousins. Have a super nice Wed. tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love the Northern Flickers. I'm in Southern Ontario and we have the yellow-shafted here.
    I've never seen a red-shafted but hope to someday.

    I love your blog, Eileen. I spent an enjoyable hour last night going through some of your older posts.
    I found your blog through others that I visit but I can't remember which one now. lol

    ReplyDelete
  30. So pretty! We've seen one here at the lake a couple of times this season, but I've never had the camera handy. Often used to have them in our yard when we lived in Spfld. and of course out in the woods when we camped.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Great shots of the Northern Flickers doing their thing Eileen. We have been seeing their numbers increasing now as they move in for the winter.

    ReplyDelete
  32. This is a magnificent bird. Thanks for sharing these images.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Great shots! We have Northern Flickers here. This is the first year they have come to my suet feeders.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Great series of shots Eileen! I love the red on those birds!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Lovely images! I always enjoy seeing these guys.

    ReplyDelete
  36. You certainly captured the red shafts with your excelent shots Eileen. As you point out, woodpeckers do often spend time on the ground looking for food and it's a good tip for people looking for peckers - don't just look up in the trees!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I love your posts! Everyone is a little trip in a beaytiful world! Thank you!! Have a nice day!!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Northern Flickers are such cool birds. We see the yellow-shafted variety here - they love the suet feeders in the winter.

    ReplyDelete
  39. interesting bird with a nice coloring. Great shots too Eileen. :)

    ReplyDelete
  40. I never see more than one flicker and usually it is anting..great photos Eileen...

    ReplyDelete
  41. Hi !
    Very beautiful birds ;-)
    Céline & Philippe

    ReplyDelete
  42. Great shots, Eileen! I usually see only the tail end of the flicker flying away. It's a pretty shy bird here.

    ReplyDelete
  43. I expect that it is better to be late than never... I adore Flickers and you got some wonderful images of them doing their thing Eileen. Happy remainder to your week~

    ReplyDelete
  44. Great photos of the flicker a beautiful looking bird.

    ReplyDelete

Hello, thank you for visiting my blog. I always appreciate your comments.

BTW, Anonymous comments unless a name is included will not be published. Also, comments with links will be deleted.

Have a happy day, Eileen

Happy Monday!

Wishing everyone a great day and a ha ppy new week! "One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day." "T...