My first post - Need bird ID please?

This fellow has been in my yard for about six weeks. I've been to all the bird sites and can't find a picture. TIA

Looks like either a Grackle or a Brown Headed Cowbird. Grackles are purple in good light. Can't tell if the head is brown or not.

Thanks Pete. What throws me is the red head and chin and the black cresent on his breast. I don't see that in the grackle photos.

The way he is standing and the way his tail is so stiff and he's sort of leaning on it makes me think he's a woodpecker. I'm going to go look! :-)

Wow Katymac - I'm stumped. I just looked at a bunch of sites with Washington birds and didn't see anything that made me say "bingo". His posture reminds me of our flickers but the coloring sure doesn't. And the beak looks like it curves downward and grackles and cowbirds don't do that (that I have seen anyway). I'm going to look some more. :-)

What do you think of this one... Lewis' woodpecker. Unfortunately the picture isn't very good. There is a small picture if you scroll down that is a little bit better.

http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=268

Here's another picture

http://www.pbase.com/jemerson/image/9466316

Close. It doesn't have the gray stripe under the chin and the black crescent on the chest. It likes to toss leaves looking for bugs the way Robins do but in shape it does look like the woodpecker.

Looks like a flicker, Is it spotted underneith it's chest/stomack?

Well maybe, brown and black? Here's a pic I tried to enhance, don't know if it'll work.

Referring to lilyfantn's web site - take a look at the Red-naped Sapsucker > .. http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?value=search&id=272

Also .. take a look at the info and images, from the Sibley Field Guide for Western Birds (scanned page appears below). Some mighty interesting tidbits about the 'hybrids' ...

- Magpye

Pic #1 of 2 .. scan from my Sibley Guide

KatyMac ..

With a closer gander at your photos, there appears to be a very well-defined dark crescent on the breast of your bird in your both of your photos(?) I copied your photo temporarily, only to import it into a photo program on my pc .. to try to enhance the features a bit.

- Magpye

Pic #2 of 2 .. (my) enhancement of your photo ..

Yes Magpye, so much closer. In life the gray around the neck is lighter so the crescent on the breast if more defined. So, what the heck is it? I have Northern Flickers too, very similar except for their orange banding.

It's a flicker! (:>

Agreed, Northern Flicker

Resin

Thank you very much! Everyone!

I'm not convinced yet. I agree he has a 'pecker bill, but his color has me confused. I'll admit neither Audubon's, nor The field Guide list a Northern flicker, but it just doesn't feel right to me. I also thought the Lewis woodpecker, but he isn't right either. He is unique and a new one on me.

WOW! Don't get me jazzed like that, I REALLY can't afford a new camers. LOL

Laugh, Katy. You did good! I usually trust Magpye, she and Resin probably have better references than me for your area. Your picture is fine. I've just never seen a bird of that coloring, and am very interested.

Did he look like these colors? ( Your camera's colors might have been off a bit)

That flicker is familar. I might even have a flicker feather with the spots. I found it laying on the porch a few years ago.

I'd like to find my other picture that shows the crest on the front, It might be what she seen, but, I don't even know if these are in that area

IRIS, no. The chest MAY be brown and black spotted but appears solid dark brown. The crescent beneath the throat is very distinct and appears black to me. He has a light/med gray collar that extends in a thin line below the crescent. The colors are very distinct and delineated. My first pic is really pretty darn close! He's just beautiful, he fascinates me!

Me too! He's like a negative.

Welllll, KatyMac ..

You wanta take a guess at what spent the morning on our island area .. plucking, what appears to be worms .. from the ground, hmmm .. ? (LOL)

Just hope you'll pardon the shots thru the filthy upstairs windows once more!!

Two .. of the Yellow-shafted (Eastern subspecies) of the Northern Flickers. So, after taking a better look at your photo and with seeing these two this morning: I now have to agree - tis the Northern Flickers you have there! However, your photo seem to depict a dark phase, or perhaps it's the lighting, in your photos. I could never tell if they may've been a 'pair' tho'; even in my photos!

Besides, I'm certainly still learning!! The bad thing, however .. is that I find myself having to learn all over again - each day!! .. LOL ..

The funniest thing tho', (that I couldn't manage to get any decent shots) .. were the chipmunks seemingly being on constant vigil and following the Flickers about, while {they} pecked and pulled stuffs from the ground! The chippers would dart back & forth at them .. but, the Flickers'd stand firm, and never budge! Everything seems to be starting to twitter-pate around here .. so, perhaps the chippers were being cautious. It was a riot watchin' their antics ...

((huggs))

- Magpye

If you don't mind: here's two of the better shots from this morning. .. Pic #1 of 2

.. Pic #2 of 2

Well Katymac I tried, Your bird has me fooled, It is a neat photo though as the coloring is really different.

Ooops!! ..
Oughta serve to teach me .. to start trying to look up from the keyboard .. at least, once in a while!! I'd not realized that the conversation had advanced the way it has. (lol)

- Magpye

lol magpye!!

Here are two close-ups of a Northern Flicker that I took last Fall.

2nd Photo .....

Yup! I have several of them in the yard too. Love the orange on the wings.

linthicum, Nice shots of the flickers!!

GORGEOUS!! I can practically hear him breathing!

Nice shots everyone. Magpye, I still don't see the dirt on your window. LOL
I really love flickers, so have we got a positive ID now?
I had a cowbird today. I was wondering who's nest she was going to raid to lay her egg. Nature can be so cruel. But nature has to run it's course.

This message was edited Apr 5, 2006 8:36 PM

I know it's some kind of Northern Flicker. The coloring different from the others may just be some kind of fluke. I don't know enough biology to even guess! So for now, I will ID its photos as "Northern Flicker, Odd Color" and hope it stays to have babies. Those I would really like to see! LOL