During a frosty early morning February foray into Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I spotted this handsome male Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) with fluffed-up feathers. Undeterred by the wind and the cold, he was feverishly moving up and around this tree trunk, pecking along the way in search of a tasty tidbit for breakfast.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Very Nice Mike! Always fun to see woodpeckers!
So pretty. You have great bird photos!
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It looks like the Gila woodpecker found in southern Arizona. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/gila-woodpecker
Wow. I checked out the link, kenne, and the two species look a lot alike. The Red-bellied Woodpecker seems to have a bit more of a red neck than the Gila, which looks to have only a red patch on its head.
As always, Mike, your photos are wonderful. Nancy Dunham agrees. i visited her yesterday and the conversation shifted to your photography and we both enjoy it!
Thanks, Michael and Nancy. I’m always happy to get feedback from people who know me in real life.
“During a frosty early morning February foray” 😍😍 Those sound devices in your prose… where can I find your poetry? 🙂
Sorry, Laura, poetry in not part of my skill set, though I do confess to enjoying playing with words. In the case that you cited, the alliteration started accidentally and then I decided to embrace it and enjoy it. As you probably noticed, subsequent sentences included “fluffed-up feathers.” “tree trunk.” and “tasty tidbit.” It probably shows that I am the proud product of a liberal arts education. 🙂
It was worth a try. 🙂 Your prose is delightful enough, I suppose. 😊