ML387521871
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Adult Male - 1
- Sounds
- Non-vocal
- Playback
- Playback not used
Observation details
Lifer! Continuing rarity going on a 6th week in the same location, originally found by Carter Gasiorowski. I first heard it drilling away in I think the same Deodar Cedar where many others have reported (37.2410051, -121.9706591, southern-most of the three cedars on the east side of the parking lot). It stayed in almost the exact same spot for a long time, I think drilling new holes and collecting what he could from them. It's an adult male with a solid black back and black head with two straight white stripes on the sides. The higher one is like a slightly higher-positioned post-ocular stripe, and the other is like a moustachial that just barely sneaks over the top of the beak. There's a small red throat patch, and two broad white wing patches, although those were mostly hidden from my view by the mottled black and white flank feathers. I never got a good view of the yellow belly. It did not vocalize while I was there. I did note that the pecking didn't seem to have any consistent or notable pattern and wasn't entirely dissimilar from how a foraging Nuttall's Woodpecker might sound (thought quite different than their rapid drumming). There are five children ages five and younger living in my house right now. It's a long story, and if we're friends feel free to ask me about it. The only reason I mention it here is to explain why I've been getting a lot less sleep than usual. I wanted to come chase this bird weeks ago, but the only opportunities I had I blew on chasing other birds. Finally I decided to come down here this week, but the past couple of mornings I actually slept through my alarms! Thankfully, the baby went to sleep last night at 11 pm and didn't wake up again, so this morning I finally got up in time to make it down here. One of the many things I love about birding is how it takes you to new interesting places, this really nice park being no exception. Unsurprisingly after how long this bird has been here, I was the only birder around, and it took me almost an hour to find. When I did, it seemed as if it had been there the whole time - possibly not since I had looked in that tree several times already, but I never saw him fly in. I know Red-naped Sapsuckers can at times be very sneaky since the one that showed up in Brentwood last year was most likely right over the heads of at least a dozen birders for a few hours without being seen. Anyway, I was certainly struck by this bird's beauty. It would make sense to suppose that you would eventually get tired of the different red, black, and white combos of so many different woodpeckers, but I certainly don't feel like that's coming any time soon, especially not when they give me such a nice break from five crazy kids!
Additional species
Technical information
- Recorder
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 312.65 KB