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Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Photographing all 8 species of Woodpeckers in North Carolina

By Sally Siko

North Carolina is home to 8 species of woodpeckers.
Here’s a collection of photos I’ve taken of each woodpecker species over the past year while birding in NC.
As you can see, most are relatively easy to tell apart depending on their plumage and size but there are other clues to their ID based on habitat preferences.
Here’s a rundown of all 8.



*Downy Woodpecker- smallest species found in mixed deciduous forests and our own backyards.


*Hairy Woodpecker – looks similar to the Downy but are around 9 inches long and weigh 3x as much as the Downy making them noticeably larger in size when comparing the two.
The Hairy Woodpeckers bill is as long as it’s slightly elongated head vs. the Downy who’s got a comparatively shorter bill size paired with a rounder head.
Although the range and habitat preferences of the Hairy Woodpecker generally overlap that of the Downy, the Hairy is a slightly shyer bird which spends more of its time in the deep woods vs. our backyards.



*Red-cockaded Woodpecker- rare and somewhat difficult to find, these guys look very similar to the Downy woodpecker, but lack the band of white going across its back and is only found in mature stands of old growth, long leaf pine forests.


*Pileated woodpecker- Crow sized, the largest woodpecker species found in NC with a bright red mohawk.



*Redheaded woodpecker- Even at a distance, that bright crimson head stands out from all the others.


*Yellow Bellied Sapsucker- found in areas with maple trees and mixed deciduous woods. Look for that yellow belly and red throat.


*Northern Flicker- that tan, black, white and red plumage combo makes these guys an unmistakable ID in the field. Look for them hunting at ant mounds at the bases of trees and on suburban lawns.


*Red-bellied woodpecker-found in backyards and broadleaf forests throughout the state, look for a bold red nape combined with a black and white barring pattern across their back.

Most of these woodpeckers call the Tarheel state home year round so it shouldn’t take too long for you to catch a look at all 8 species too.
🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Northern Flicker at Yates Mill Park, Raleigh N.C.

Happy to have found a male Northern Flicker in the woods at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh a few days ago.
This handsome bird spent nearly 10 minutes in the same spot eating whatever insects he found in the leaf litter.


It was really interesting to watch him zone in and consume his unseen quarry and I even got a good look at that gorgeous red plumage in the back of his head.



Northern Flickers are a familiar sight in here in N.C. as well as throughout the hardwood forests throughout most of of the United States. They nest in the cavities created in dead or decaying trees and are often seen foraging for food along woodland edges, marshes, suburban parks, and gardens.



They also can be enticed to visit our backyard feeders if you’ve got suet, nuts, and black oil sunflower seeds to offer them.
Choose an upright feeder that will support these birds’ most comfortable feeding postures, and position the feeder near mature trees where they will naturally forage.
If you want to go the extra mile to attract these birds, leaving dead trees, snags, and stumps available for foraging woodpeckers will give them a good source of insects and grubs 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Yellow-bellied sapsucker at Raven Rock Park, Lillington N.C.

Hiking in the woods at Raven Rock State Park and heard a familiar knocking sound echoing through the trees. I gripped my camera a little tighter and slowed my walk while looking up into the canopy to try and find the source of the noise.
With the wind blowing the leaves around, it’s difficult to spot the movement of birds in between the branches.
Then the knocking noise sounded again and I was able to hone in on its source, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker!
I love these birds 🙂 Although they are a relatively common species of woodpecker here in N.C., I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like. Usually it’s the sound of their pecking on the trees that announces their presence instead of a good look.



But why are they constantly hammering their beaks into the tree trunks?
The clue is actually wrapped up in their name. It’s all for that sweet, sweet sap 🙂
Sapsuckers move up and down trees to drill a series of wells in the trunks to drink the sap that oozes forth. 
Often returning to the same tree on a regular basis, the Yellow -bellied Sapsucker’s elaborate systems of sap wells are maintained daily to ensure sap production.
These feisty woodpeckers will defend their wells from all kinds of sap-stealing animals and birds, including other sapsuckers.
They also may be found happily raiding both hummingbird and suet feeders alike in our own backyards.

Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5Ds