Friday, December 19, 2014

Downy Woodpecker at Farm Pond


Downy Woodpecker

I like this photo because it shows how the woodpecker uses its extra stiff tail feathers to hold its weight and prop its position as it climbs the trunk of the tree.

I was standing next to another tree trunk when another Downy Woodpecker flew over to it.  It scared a Brown Creeper that I didn't even know was there off the trunk.  It flew around to my side of the tree trunk, but then when it saw me it reversed direction.  I did see it climb to a higher part of the trunk, and was able to snap a photo of it, but the view from beneath it is not so good because you can't see its head.   It is a nice display of camouflage!  The bird is hard to pick out when it is sitting on bark!

Brown Creeper

Last, but not least, there were lots of Mute Swans on the pond (boo hiss!) and a mixed flock of gulls on the causeway.



 First Winter Ring-Billed Gull

 Ring-Billed Gulls


Way at the back, there were two Greater Black-Backed Gulls, but I didn't feel like plowing through the flock to get any closer!

On the way back to the car, there was a big flock of Dark-Eyed Juncos picking through the grass with one American Tree Sparrow among them.





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