The Birders Report

Acorn Woodpecker at Suet Feeder photos by Larry Jordan

The Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) breeds here on my property in Oak Run.  I put up a woodpecker feeder to attract them to my yard and they have been visiting ever since.  They also visit the suet feeder and have no problem casually munching down the suet cakes.

Many of the birds visiting my yard like the suet and have learned how to hang on to the suet cage to feed.  I had to chuckle as this Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) flew towards the suet feeder, then noticed the rather large woodpecker occupying the feeder and put on the brakes to veer off before it was too late.

Here is a video of two female Acorn Woodpeckers at the woodpecker feeder.  Note the red crown on the females is separated from the white forehead by a black stripe while the male’s red crown (above) extends all the way to his white forehead.

You can hear the chattering calls of the two females that are typical of this species.

To see more interesting bird photos, check out World Bird Wednesday!

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) photos by Larry Jordan

Last weekend I went on an Audubon outing to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.  We counted only 55 species and there were not as many waterfowl as there usually are during January.  It makes me wonder what kind of luck I will have in three weeks, observing from the photo blind at the refuge.  Only time will tell.  You never know what birds will show at the photo blind.

I’ve been trying to get some decent shots of a Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) for quite some time and I decided to make a concerted effort on this trip.  I got lucky when this female decided to plop down in the bulrush for a brief respite from her foraging activities.

Note the owl-like facial disc that allows these hawks to detect prey by sound.  I didn’t see this bird capture any prey on this day but back in November, I took a series of photos at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge of another female Northern Harrier successfully snatching a vole, their primary prey in winter.  Click on photos for full sized images.

For more great bird photos check out Bird Photography Weekly!

Check out my latest West Coast Beat Writer post on the Western Scrub-Jay over at 10000 Birds.