BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Birding Woodpeckers in your area?

Hi Chipmunk,

Hope you "safely" as far as the pileated woodpecker family get great pictures.

Red shuldered hawks are really distinctive looking but unfortunately for me they do not occur in this part of Mexico but rather a little further north, I think. Do the hawks nest in your front yard every year?

The past two summers, we've had successful hawk nests in the wooded lot behind our house. This pair are young ones, just at mating age. I'm fairly certain the female is from the first clutch. They live here year round and their calls are unique. They are certainly not shy and watch us as much as we watch them. Choosing a tree within her family territory makes sense.

The woodpeckers have also nested nearby for the past two summers. We have a camphor tree and a live oak in our back yard, and our neighbor has several tall pines. They have spent quite a bit of time here.

Two years ago in May, we were celebrating my husband's birthday with a backyard cookout. Before our guests arrived, I walked out the back door to see Poppa Woodpecker attacking a fence post. He had almost severed it going after a carpenter bee. As we were getting ready to eat, he brought Momma Woodpecker over to the fence post, and then swooped right over my Mother-in-law's head! She ducked and almost toppled out of the chair.

Woodpeckers are stringently protected here in the states. There was nothing we could do but replace the fence post and laugh about another strange and crazy occurrence with our animal neighbors.

Thanks for the update on the hawks and the woodpeckers. I wish here in Mexico that there was some kind of state/federal protection for woodpeckers (and lots of other species like grooved-billed anis as their territory is fast disappearing in my area) as habitat here is haphazardly destroyed by property owners and non-property owners alike.

We were at the Tribal Grounds for a week, helping prepare for the weekend Pow-Wow. There is a pair woodpeckers who hang out in the two trees by the entrance gate. We set up our camper in the parking lot and walk past these trees numerous times each day.

Every morning heading to the bath house, they called to me as I walked under the trees. These are much smaller than the pileated pair at our home, but with a very similar call. I only caught a glimpse, so it's hard to identify them.

The Tribal Grounds are very close to the Okeefenokee Swamp. There have been rumors of a possible few Ivory Billed Woodpeckers in the Swamp. These are considered by most to be extinct. How exciting it would be to find a few still with us.

Yesterday I traveled by bus for around a 6 1/2 round trip to do some birding, ruin exploration, and some hiking. I went to Tzintzuntzan, a small indigenous community on the shores of the very large Lake Patzcuaro.

In all the habitats that I covered, including the downtown area, there was the highest concentration of golden-fronted woodpeckers
that I have ever seen- better make that heard as most of them were so high up in oaks and pines that they were really not visible.
If that wasn't highlight enough, woodpecker-wise, while at the the archaeological site just outside of town, the last remains of the Tarascan Empire, I saw two of the clown-looking acorn woodpeckers making their way up a tree.

Not woodpackers but while at the "Ojo de Agua," a great birding site along the lake,within a few minutes I saw so many flycatchers- grey silky, vermillion, and social.

What a great birding trip Les. Hoping you got some good photos.

My neighbor has a bird feather hanging from a shepherd's hook. It's only a foot or so off the ground and there was a little woodpecker perched on it this morning. Only caught a glimpse as we drove by, but it looked like a young Red-Bellied.

Hi Jane and all,

When I was visiting my brother who lives just south of Boston I got really good looks at some red-bellied woodpeckers whuch were the first ones that I had ever seen.

I did get really good pictures, especially of the Acorn's, social flycatchers, and a couple of species of hummingbirds (Tzintzuntzan is known as "the place of hummingbirds), but I am clueless as to how to post pictures.

I am really looking forward to going back to Tzintzuntzan in December or January-more than likely will spend a day and a half there- as then it becomes a mini birders paradise.
At the site I mentioned previously, Ojo de Agua, a couple of winters ago in less than 30 minutes covering an area of no more than 200 yards we saw over 35 species of birds. Then there were
8 acorn woodpeckers doing their thing in a small island of trees about 40 yards from the embankment/shore.
Overhead we saw a Cooper's hawk which is not all that common for that area. I hope your hawks continue to prosper and for now until you name them I will call the babies "Hide" and "Seek."

Les, just sent you a PM with photo info. I REALLY, REALLY want to see some of your birding photos.

We're taking name suggestions for the hawk chicks. Going to do a poll next week and let the forum members choose. Hide and Seek are on the list. Thanks for the suggestion!

If you visit California, you might luck up there. Red Shoulder Hawks are in most of the state.

Today in terrain that I might see lesser roadrunners or some types of flycatchers (pretty close to where I spotted some greater pewees the other day) I was thrilled to briefly hear and see a pair of ladder-backed woodpeckers on a cactus. Their call is so much different and quieter than the golden-fronted but their flight seems to be very similar. I hadn't seen any of those cute little guys here for about a year and hope to see more in the near future..

Was over at a neighbor's house this week helping in their yard. They have several plum trees and the smaller sap suckers love the golden ones. It was so comical seeing them fly off with a huge ripe plum in their beaks.