Woodpecker Number Five

My wife and I went birding Saturday mornigng at Huntington Central Park. It was a great trip with 35 species identified in 2 hours, including a beautiful Townsend’s Warbler and a Downey Woodpecker. I’ve now recorded 5 woodpeckers so far in 2025. I’ve leveled up on wooodpeckers!

I noticed a six other birders while at the park. Including one who impressed me with her ability to just stand in one spot staring into the woods. I managed to capture a photo of her in action. I’m thinking about photographing other birders as a side quest. I’ll have to think about how I do that.

Downy Woodpeckers

Downy Woodpeckers (Picoldes pubescens) is a common species, found in riparian habitats, like Huntington Central Park. They are know to be flexible and can in many habitats. They can be seen foraging in trees and sometimes on weeds. They eat insects, mostly wood-boring beetle larvae, ants, caterpillars. They can also be seen at bird feeders.

I found a pair of these beautiful birds while exploring a heavily wooded area a marshy area while searching for a Norther flicker, which I heard, but did not see.

One aspect of birding I find difficult is spotting birds in a tree’s canopy on an overcast day. The birds are backlit by a bright sky which offers few details besides a shadow. Looking up from under a tree offers worse results than standing off and looking up into a tree. Both techniques leave you with a sore neck.

I spotted these two bird by looking up into a tree after recording their calls on the Merlin Bird ID application. It took 15 minutes to first see them, then another 10 to capture a photo. Birding is for the slow and patient. I’m not yet a member of that group. Slowing down is not yet a part of my personality. I’m still forgetting the skills I learned while working for a living. It is not an easy adjustment.

I’m at 192 birds on my life list and 157 birds on the Bird Nerd Project. I also set a new personal best on this trip by loading 19 photos to eBird. It’s slow progress, but I enjoy it.

On this trip, my wife spotter her first Belted Kingfisher, which made me a little envious as it took me months of looking to find one. My favorite bird this trip the beautiful Vermillion flycatcher.