Category: Events
Photo Subject: Bird/Northern Flicker
Date Shot: Fri, Oct 12, 2007
Date Submitted: Fri, Oct 26, 2007
Viewed: 143 times
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi (400D/Kiss X) Digital SLR Camera
Lens: n/a
Filter: n/a
Comment: This completes this series of bird banding shots from Fort Morgan's fall migration, by the Hummer Bird Study Group. I have enjoyed sharing some of the many different bird species that I was able to observe up close and personal and appreciate all the kind comments I have already received on these pretty birds. As I previously remarked, this is a wonderful opportunity to experience. All of the HBSG crew are knowledgeable, friendly and accomodating to the general public that stops by for a visit. You never know what birds you will see. This was my third visit, but won't be my last! If interested, I invite you to take a look at all different bird species from my previous two trips on the Fort Morgan Property Gallery. This last bird of the series is a "Yellow-Shafted" Northern Flicker. It's range is Tree limit in Alaska, Canada, south to Gulf states and Cuba. It's a migrant in the northern part of it's range. This woodpecker has golden yellow under it's wings and tail, a black patch across it's chest, a red cresent on it's nape and the male has a black mustache. The "Yellow-Shafted" is found in the East and Northwest and the "Red-Shafted" in the West. Until the early 1980's, these two geographical groups were considered a separate species. The Flicker spends alot of time on the ground foraging for ants. An analysis of the content of a single Flicker stomach revealed 3,000 ants! In my yard, I have seen Red-bellied, Red-headed, Downey, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Pileated Woodpeckers but never a Flicker. I certainly could offer him plenty of ants to eat!