After a recent rain, Piper and I discovered a young flicker taking advantage of the water captured in the top of an old wine barrel. He watched us watching him get a drink.
He didn't seem to mind our presence, though.
I really love the flicker's markings. I did a carving of one a while ago, just to try and capture all those spots and stripes.
This pose got the cuteness prize for the morning.
An adult flicker was foraging nearby. You can see that his bib is more complete and the red feathers on the back of his head are more brilliantly colored. The youngster's patch of scarlet is still muted by some baby brown feathers.
See? The spots on the front and the stripes on the back (not to mention the dramatic moustache!) Then, to top it all off, when they take flight a flash of bright yellow under their wings is an extra treat. They're called yellow-shafted flickers as well, because rather than being white, gray or brown, the feather shafts are that same bright yellow.
These beautiful birds fly south for the winter, too, so I'm appreciating them while I can! :)
3 comments:
What wonderful pics ! I love flickers, can never see enough of them. Thank you so much for the smile !
Hugs to ya, from BetsyLee
My most favorite bird - Northern Flickers here, so red where yours have yellow. Gorgeous photos!
Wise Wanderer here
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