The yellow-shafted Northern Flicker is a year-round resident of Newfoundland, even my backyard. No matter what time of the year or where I go birding I am sure to see a Northern Flicker, sometimes several.
While at times of the year they take to wing very quickly when their area is invaded, it seems that at this time of the year they tend to linger a little longer. On Sunday I was in the community of Blackhead and one sat on a tree much like this one and watched me for over ten minutes. As we here all know there was no sunshine on Sunday it is obvious that this picture was not taken then. (August 2011)
This is a great bird to introduce children to bird watching. They are not only plentiful but their shear size and color make them a real fascination. To me there is something really special about all woodpeckers. During my first year of birding the Northern Flicker was the only one that I saw. This year I have made up for that, particularly recently. In the last week alone I have also seen a Downy, a Hairy and a Red-bellied Woodpecker. This seems to be prime time to look and listen for this family of birds. Who knows, maybe the Ivory-billed Woodpecker will make this province the "comeback trail."
In addition to the seen species listed above, I also I saw a Black-backed Woodpecker in the Spring and in late winter I saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Maybe in the coming year I will see a Three-toed Woodpecker!
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