Saturday's Critters #225

Welcome to Saturday's Critters!

If you love all God's creatures like I do and also like to blog about them and take critter photos this is where you can share your critter post. Link up your post and share your critters, join in with my critter party ! You can share any kind of critters the real ones, pretend ones, statues and paintings, a new or old post!

I have been enjoying the birds right outside my window, the spring birds are arriving and the winter birds are still here as I type this post.  These may not be the clearest photos, they were all taken from my closed dining room window.

The Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker

Pine Warbler and a male Downy Woodpecker

Two Pine Warblers male and female and the Downy Woodpecker.

Female Pine Warbler, they are breeder in the watershed and forest around my house. I have seen the male Pine Warbler most of the winter.

Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-winged Blackbird, Pine Warbler, Caroline Wren

I appreciate and thank everyone who links up their post and for all the wonderful comments this past year ! 

Here is a list of my linky parties;

Also visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious host: Anni.

Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

Northern Flicker

Happy Monday, enjoy your day!  Happy November, wishing everyone a great new month.

The USA has two species of the Northern Flicker, the Eastern version is the Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker. The Western US has the Red-shafted Northern Flicker. I have seen both species,  the Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker can be found in the woods around our house and all around the eastern US. These are photos I took of the Northern Flicker in Pennsylvania, near the Cook Forest State Park and a couple together in Erie PA. The yellow and the red colors on the Northern Flicker show up on the birds underwings.

The Northern Flicker is in the Woodpecker family. You can just barely make out the yellow color under it's tail feathers.

Male Northern Flickers have the black moustache and they red at the nape of the neck. They feed on the ground looking for insects.

Below is the female, you can see it is missing the black moustache. They do have the black under the neck and the black spots like the males.

As always I thank you for stopping by and as always I appreciate your comments.

My list of memes for today, I hope to see you there. Thanks to both of the host below.


Thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes

Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday

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.