I love the colors and patterns of Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus), like this one that I spotted on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. In the United States there are two variants of this colorful bird, an Eastern one and a Western one. The Eastern males, like the one in the image below, have a red nape, black “whiskers,” and yellow shafts on their flight and tail feathers. Western males, which I have not yet seen, do not have a nape crescent and have red “whiskers” and red-shafted tail feathers.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I love watching these guys. We often see them in our yard and on our roof. I suppose they’re in the nearby trees, but it’s hard to tell.
This bird is lovely. I just love its colours. I need to investigate whether there are any myths around it so I can incorporate into a poem. Great shot!!
❤❤
Ooh and there are lots of myths around them. Thank you once again for inspiring me to write my next poem for my upcoming collection.
Wow. I had no idea that there were myths about flickers, but a quick Google search showed me the breadth of my ignorance. 🙂
Brilliant that you learnt something too. 🙂
This is one of those birds that are not very common in the Lowcountry. Not sure if they are inland here or not. Always a pretty bird to find, nice catch.
Thanks, Ted. As is often the case, I would have like to have gotten closer, but that is the common lament of most of us wildlife photographers most of the time. 🙂
Nice Mike! One of my favorite birds!
I enjoy these birds, and your photo’s especially appealing, but… When I read your title in the email (“Flicker in December”) the first thing I “saw” in my mind was a candle.
Thanks. I am guilty of being deliberately ambiguous. I have a mischievous side that occasionally comes out in my postings. 🙂
No need for guilt, Mike. Your intention makes it even more fun!
Very nice, Mike!
The Flicker is one of my favorite birds. We’re fortunate that they breed locally. Getting one to pose – well, that’s another story.
That’s a fine flicker, and I’m really liking the lichen too; sweet composition!
Thanks, Gary. I tried to work the angles to have the branches frame the flicker and it worked out pretty well.
They are SO colorful in flight.
It is always exciting to see the bright yellow feathers under the wings when they are in flight.
Your blog post title sounds like a poem phrase to me… 😍
I am sure that those words could be part of a poem or a short story, given their mysterious, evocative nature.
[…] In case you are curious, I can tell that she is a female, because she lacks the black “mustache” stripe that is present with males. If you want to see a male Northern Flicker for the sake of comparison, check out my post from December 2020 entitled “Flicker in December.” […]