Northern Flicker.

[worldtalker]

They love stabbing the ground after a rain looking for something to eat,never seen any other woodpecker do that.
Nature AMAZES me.

 

[tamrock]

Those are often suspicious and don't hang around much for any photo shoots. For whatever reason which I don't know why during the early summer they peck rapidly on the metal air vents on top of the roofs around here. It make an awful racket especially when they peck away on the top of your hot water heaters flue pipe. 🙉

 

[robertk]

Those are often suspicious and don't hang around much for any photo shoots. For whatever reason which I don't know why during the early summer they peck rapidly on the metal air vents on top of the roofs around here. It make an awful racket especially when they peck away on the top of your hot water heaters flue pipe. 🙉

I read someplace that they do that to make their pecking louder to attract a mate.

 

[tamrock]

I read someplace that they do that to make their pecking louder to attract a mate.

I was kinda thinking that, as its when they're all doing their mating call.

 

[xr7ator]

I've watched them peck up ant hills/colonies and get down to the larva/pupa and eat the entire colony.

 

[worldtalker]

I read someplace that they do that to make their pecking louder to attract a mate.

I believe they call that 'hammering'.

 

[tamrock]

I've watched them peck up ant hills/colonies and get down to the larva/pupa and eat the entire colony.

They're certainly opportunists and eat a verity of things. Every now and then they'll stop by my bird buddy cam feeder and dine on some thistle seeds I put out for mostly the finches. This one was out on a cold snowy wet spring day awhileback. I would sure be OK with a day like that in today's temperatures right now at a 103°

 

[Jeff H]

They are cool birds. I was once woken up at 04:30 AM by a flicker hammering on an overturned aluminum trash can. What a racket!

 

[Sandog]

Love your shots. Apparently that behavior is not limited to the flicker. I caught a shot of this guy(?) on a nearby palm after he scared the heck of us this week trying to imitate a jackhammer on the metal roof of our patio.