A New Bird In Town

September 14, 2010

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It's another cool morning here in New England. I really don't want to say it, but Summer is definitely winding down in a big way. The temperature drop is huge. We go from 90+ degrees every day to 70+ degrees every day. I would say that is a good sign that Autumn is quickly taking over.

Yesterday morning at work, I noticed a new visitor to the yard. The large backyard was filled with lots of birds scratching about looking for food. This one bird caught my attention because I wasn't quite sure what it was. It sort of looked like a cross between a woodpecker and a mourning dove. I took some pictures through the window, and when I got home I got out my bird books.

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Surprise, surprise. According to my bird books, it's a Northern Flicker. I took this photo to show the red markings on the back of the head, and the yellow in the wing and tail feathers. Plus this is a good sized bird.

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After checking around the ground a bit, the Flicker spotted an old tree stump, and quickly meandered over to it. It seemed quite happy to find this old stump.

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When I was leaving to go home, it flew across the street to a tree that seems to be a favorite to many of the neighborhood birds.

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Usually all I can get for photos from that distance is silhouettes, but I try anyway. You can definitely see that this is the same Northern Flicker. Tomorrow, I will show you a photo that will show you the actual distance.

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I think I'm getting old, folks. You know, yesterday afternoon when I got home, I managed to do a few things (not much, really). Caught up on some emails, and chatted on the phone for a bit with a friend. I even thought about watching a bit of TV. Somehow, I must have just nodded off to sleep because a couple hours later I woke up and was still sitting on the sofa. Think maybe I was a speck tired?

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I can hear some activity out in my yard, so it's time for me to get dressed and start my day. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a marvelous day.

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Hugs, Edna B.