This weekend I learned some new things about woodpeckers. I always thought that woodpeckers were found exclusively in the trees. Isn’t it logical that woodpeckers need wood to peck? (It reminds me of the response attributed to Willie Sutton on why he robbed banks—”Because that’s where the money is.”) Well, I saw a woodpecker pecking at the stalks of cattails and other similar vegetation that clearly were not made of solid wood.
Secondly I learned that the woodpecker that had a big red spot on the back of his head was not a Red-Headed Woodpecker. Fortunately, it was not too hard to determine that the little woodpecker that I saw and photographed was a male Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens). He was very active climbing up and down the stalks of a whole series of plants in the middle of a marsh and was a lot of fun to watch.
Here are a couple of photos of that beautiful bird. I am not sure that I did full justice to the blazing red color on his head that initially attracted my attention or to the wonderful black and white pattern of his feathers. I hope that I have another chance soon to see more woodpeckers and learn even more new things about them.
Male Downy Woodpecker in the field
Downy Woodpecker looks to the side
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Excellent shots-I especially like the second one.
Thanks. I really like the woodpecker’s unusual pose in that second shot. My one regret is that the shot was not sharper–he was not as close I would have preferred. (The first shot was closer, but it too is lacking a little in sharpness. I realized after the fact that I needed a faster shutter speed.)
Excellent shots, I have pics of Downeys, Red-Bellied and even a Pilated woodpecker. My favorite birds..:-)
Thanks, Ed. I going to have to look awfully hard to find that many different woodpeckers (but I like a good challenge).
I enjoyed your pictures. It’s a shame we can’t get our subjects to cooperate a tad more.