Joan and Dan's Birding Blog: April 2013

Monday, April 15, 2013

Red-Headed Woodpecker

Today's featured feathered friend is the Red-Headed Woodpecker. Adult male and female Red-Headed Woodpeckers are identical. Their head and neck is Crimson red, their back and tail is black and their underparts are snowy-white. The wings are black with white secondary feathers. Juveniles are similar but, are mottled with brown. The Red-Headed is a medium-sized Woodpecker measuring about 9 1/2 inches in length, with a 16 1/2 inch wingspan and weighs about 3 ounces.

Their conservation status is Near Threatened. Once common, their numbers are in decline due to habitat loss and changes in their food supply. They are year-round Florida residents and their range includes most of the eastern United States, however, they are difficult to find. We had asked several local birders where to locate them. With the location in hand, we still only managed to find them after an exhaustive search. We've also searched for them at known "hotspots", with no luck.

Non-birders often misidentify the Red-Bellied Woodpecker as a Red-Headed. Both are the same size and have red on their heads but, the similarity ends there. The Red-Headed's "entire" head is a crimson red, while the Red-Bellied has a bright red stripe on it's nape and crown (back and top of the head). The Red-Headed has solid colors while the Red-Bellied has black and white barring on it's wings and back. Enjoy these photos of the gorgeous and elusive Red-Headed Woodpecker.....tweet.....tweet!!

Red-Headed Woodpecker

(Taken 4/5/13, Clay Gully Road, Myakka City FL)

Male Red-Bellied Woodpecker (for comparison)
(Photo taken 2/21/13, Alligator Creek Preserve, Punta Gorda FL)
(Red stripe on white head, also note the red belly)

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-headed_woodpecker/id

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-headed_Woodpecker

Monday, April 8, 2013

The Fallout

On Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013, a storm passed across the Gulf of Mexico. This early spring storm created a phenomenon in the birding world known as a "fallout". Fallouts occur when migrating birds encounter weather conditions that cause them to become temporarily grounded. The birds are literally beaten up by high winds and hard rain while in flight. They seek food and shelter at the first sign of land. Bad for the birds but, great for birders who jump at the opportunity to see many species and large numbers of birds.

From Ft. Desoto in the North to Sanibel Island in the South, migrating birds are still being seen in large numbers. Not wanting to miss the fallout, we traveled to Ft. Desoto on Saturday morning, April 6th, before first light.

Upon arriving, we immediately spotted several Hooded Warblers and an Orchard Oriole. Later, we spotted a Blue-Winged Warbler, a Prothonotary Warbler and a Yellow-Billed Cuckoo. Along the shoreline we spotted a Long-Billed Curlew. Although we saw many, many other birds, these six are all life list birds for us. Our life list now stands at 191 species.
Spring migration is just beginning, so we'll be checking the weather forecast for the rest of the month. If another "fallout" occurs, we'll be ready!! Enjoy these photos of our six newest life lists birds from Ft. Desoto Park.....tweet.....tweet!!