Welcome to spring, and a busy week of birding! I've had one or two 'whatsits'. Well, one. I'm pretty sure the second was a merlin, seen perched on Sunday evening. It was certainly a bird of prey, small (blue jay or slightly bigger size), dark back, streaking on white front (streaking appeared more vertical than horizontal). Its wingbeats when it flew off were rapid, flight steady.
The first 'whatsit' was Friday. Also perched on top of the big evergreen tree, briefly. It had some red on the back of its head/nape, and was roughly blue jay sized, but woodpecker shaped, with a long straight bill. I think it wasn't big enough to be a pileated woodpecker. A flicker, maybe, we do get them fairly regularly and I have seen one up there before. But even though it was hard to be sure in the lighting conditions, it seemed to have more red. Its flight was steady, quick, and dipped up and down a little. It may have been a red-bellied woodpecker (not to be confused with red-breasted sapsucker, which is a Western bird). The range is possible, though I don't remember seeing one before.
Some of my hawks were definitely red-tailed. One day there were 3 flying up behind our house. Another day I saw two, en route from work to home, not in the same place as each other. Saturday, also out and about, there were 2 birds, one was probably a red-tail, the other was something different, maybe a turkey vulture? I wasn't able to really pay attention to it.
Common birds: blue jay (3 days), common crow, cardinal (pair, 5 days), swan, Canada goose (several, 4 days), red-tailed (likely) hawk (1-3, flying, different locations, 4 days), junco (several, 5 days), robin (1-several, 5 days), chickadee (1-2, 5 days), starling (several, 2 days), grackle, house sparrow (several, 5 days), downy woodpecker (male, 2 days), house finch (pair 2 days, 2 males in one of those days), mourning dove (2), goldfinch (1-2)
Spring visitors: red-wing blackbird (male, 1-3, 2 days), merlin (a small falcon)
Whatsit: woodpecker ID??
The first 'whatsit' was Friday. Also perched on top of the big evergreen tree, briefly. It had some red on the back of its head/nape, and was roughly blue jay sized, but woodpecker shaped, with a long straight bill. I think it wasn't big enough to be a pileated woodpecker. A flicker, maybe, we do get them fairly regularly and I have seen one up there before. But even though it was hard to be sure in the lighting conditions, it seemed to have more red. Its flight was steady, quick, and dipped up and down a little. It may have been a red-bellied woodpecker (not to be confused with red-breasted sapsucker, which is a Western bird). The range is possible, though I don't remember seeing one before.
Some of my hawks were definitely red-tailed. One day there were 3 flying up behind our house. Another day I saw two, en route from work to home, not in the same place as each other. Saturday, also out and about, there were 2 birds, one was probably a red-tail, the other was something different, maybe a turkey vulture? I wasn't able to really pay attention to it.
Common birds: blue jay (3 days), common crow, cardinal (pair, 5 days), swan, Canada goose (several, 4 days), red-tailed (likely) hawk (1-3, flying, different locations, 4 days), junco (several, 5 days), robin (1-several, 5 days), chickadee (1-2, 5 days), starling (several, 2 days), grackle, house sparrow (several, 5 days), downy woodpecker (male, 2 days), house finch (pair 2 days, 2 males in one of those days), mourning dove (2), goldfinch (1-2)
Spring visitors: red-wing blackbird (male, 1-3, 2 days), merlin (a small falcon)
Whatsit: woodpecker ID??
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