Bird Watching

I must admit that I have never considered myself a true bird watcher, though I do enjoy watching them. Selena however can’t get enough bird watching, and asks tons of questions about every bird she sees. She is quickly turning me into quite the bird watcher, seeking as much information to share with her as I can.

I’ve been watching this bird from a distance for sometime as it would take flight over the barn, it struck my attention with how white it is under it’s wings while in flight. Yesterday, it appeared in our front yard where I could get pictures. It is definitely a woodpecker. I did a little research and the closest I can come to what type it might be is a Northern Flicker, but am not 100% positive of that.

As I was so focused on this large bird, Selena suddenly yelled babies! I looked and sure enough there were three babies feeding in the rocks. At first I wondered if they were a different bird all together, but then as I zoomed in with my camera, I could see that they still have a little bit of the soft down of a baby bird. This big bird was not leaving far from their side either, so we decided these three birds had to be her babies.

I wish I could have gotten better pictures of the larger woodpecker, as believe me when she turns her back and lifts her wings she is as white as snow. That black crested chest is beautiful in itself. I guess you know that we will be looking for a good bird guide book here real soon as this new hobby is becoming quite an obsession here.