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Woodpecker Identification
Pileated Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, and More.
North American bird guides have been listing the Pileated Woodpecker as the largest
of its family. However, the recent exhilarating sightings of the Ivory-Billed
Woodpecker, once thought extinct, require that these facts be updated. Nevertheless,
the Pileated Woodpecker
is truly a tremendous size, and its unique fiery crest makes
it a simple bird to identify. Patient bird watching, perhaps with the aid of good
bird watching binoculars, will show you that the Pileated Woodpecker excavates small
holes in trees and then uses its long, sticky tongue to locate burrows of ants.
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Woodpeckers also excavate holes to lay their eggs in. The Pileated Woodpecker lays
three to five white eggs. Luckily for North American bird watchers, the United States
plays host to numerous species of woodpeckers, including the Acorn Woodpecker, the
Downy Woodpecker,
the Golden-fronted Woodpecker, the Ladderback Woodpecker, and
Nuttall's Woodpecker,
among others. The marvelous rediscovery of the Ivory-billed
Woodpecker is, without a doubt, the most exciting bird watching news of the 21st
century.
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Get to Know Your Woodpeckers
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Pileated Woodpecker | Dryocopus pileatus | 19 ½"
Allow me to present to you the great king of all local woodpeckers - Dryocopus
pileatus, the Pileated Woodpecker. For sheer size, he far surpasses all other
woodpeckers you will see in our region. His red head is like a flame that is truly
startling when one is walking in the gloaming of a wood. Read Article »
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Downy Woodpecker | Picoides pubescens | 6" - 7"
When you are looking in your birding field guide, no doubt you will feel a
bit exasperated by the fact that Downy and Hairy woodpeckers have
practically identical markings. So, how do you tell them apart? Size is the
simple answer. Read Article »
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Hairy Woodpecker | Picoides villosus | 9" - 10"
There was something about the glimpse we got as the bird took off that made us feel
it wasn’t anyone we knew. Then we saw the back, and that big, fluffy white spot and
we knew we were at last looking at the Hairy Woodpecker with our own eyes. Read Article »
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Nuttall's Woodpecker | Picoides nuttallii | 7" - 7 ½"
Note the beautiful black and white ladder-like markings all down his back.
When I see a completely striped back on a black/white woodpecker, it’s
Nuttall’s. The female lacks the red crown, but both birds have the wonderful
facial stripes. Read Article »
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White-headed Woodpecker | Picoides albolarvatus | 9" - 10"
That snow-white head, accented with red toward the back, the black body with a
streak of white on the shoulder, and the smart black eyes fixed on us. 15 yards
away, his wife had found her own tree, but first we just stood by the male,
scarcely able to believe this dream was coming true for us. Read Article »
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Red-breasted Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus varius | 8" - 9"
My annual Red-breasted Sapsucker may be even fonder of the old apple tree
than I am. The mottled bark bears testimony to his yearly visits, as he
is knocking yet more holes, relieving the tree of insects, and gorging
himself on the sap. Read Article »
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- Read the Latest News from the Birding Sonoma County Blog -
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Tomales Bay State Park Closure - One Upset Birder
January 22, 2008, Point Reyes, CA
Governor Schwarzenegger is planning to close our beautiful, sacred Tomales Bay State Park
in Marin County along with 42 other desperately-needed and exuberantly cherished state
parks throughout California. Closing all of these wonderful parks would not even take us
1% in the direction of being back in the black. And think of what will have been lost. Read Article »
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Bay Area Oil Spill A Disaster For Birds
November 11, 2007, Kenwood, CA
When the Cosco Busan crashed into the Bay Bridge, every birder I know immediately thought
of what this disaster would mean for the birds. In addition to our beloved birds, whales
will be swimming through the oil, as will seals, sea lions and other marine mammals. West
Marin is one of my favorite places on earth, and to see it thus spoiled fills me with
sorrow and anger. Read Article »
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Bewick's Wren - A hidden Bay Area bird worth seeking!
October 7, 2007, Glen Ellen, CA
Today, we'll turn our gaze on Bewick's Wren, Thryomanes bewickii, one of the larger
SF Bay Area Wrens. Bewick's Wren, like most wrens, will instantly strike you as being
'all-tail'. Identification clue number one for wrens is that they tend to hold their tails
up-turned, as if in proud of their lovely plumes. Read Article »
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The White-crowned Sparrow has returned!
September 24, 2007, Kenwood, CA
This trusty little bird disappeared when the weather heated up, early in the year, heading
north to cooler Canada. Just this afternoon, my husband called me to the window excitedly.
There, at the foot of the photinia hedge, a lone White-crowned Sparrow was hopping humbly
through the green grass. Read Article »
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