Date: April 13, 2020
Location: Jonesborough, Tennessee - Home
GPS Co-ordinates: 36.339781, -82.509418
Habitat: Look for Red Headed Woodpeckers in scattered, open woodlots in agricultural areas, dead timber in swamps, or pine savannas. Walk slowly, listening for tapping or drumming and keep your eyes alert for telltale flashes for black and white as these high contrast woodpeckers fly in between perches. The red head can be hard to see in strong glare. Raucous, harsh yeah! calls will also give away the presence of a Red Headed Woodpecker.
Weather/Conditions: Sunny and cold.
First Sighting: April 13, 2020
Bird’s Actions: Feeding? Picking at bugs? There had just been an altercation between an Eastern Bluebird mother and this bird, a bluejay and a blackbird. The Eastern Bluebird chased them all away from her nest and this woodpecker seems to have found a spot he likes. He has been back several times since.
Bird’s Appearance:
My Actions: I was amazed to see this bird. I have not seen one since I was in primary school. They were quite common then but I don’t believe I have seen one since 1961, not in Toronto, Florida or here in Tennessee.
Remarks: The gorgeous Red Headed Woodpecker is so boldly patterened, it’s been called a “flying checkerboard”, with an entirely crimson head, a snowy white body and half white, half inky black wings. These birds don’t act quite like most other woodpeckers; they’re adept at catching insects in the air, and they eat lots of acorns and beech nuts, often hiding away extra food in tree crevices for later. This magnifigant species has declined severely in the past half century because of habitat loss and changes to it’s food supply.