Woodpecker - Blog Posts
I just added a new piece of art to Saatchi Art! Flying woodpecker bird
YOOO I FOUND A WOODPECKER!
"waiting for the jets to land"
ink on clay board, digital color, and then screen printed.
127/365 // day 13 od March of Robots 2019 - drill beak
I met a downey woodpecker today! Male downey woodpeckers look like this:
He was very pretty and we had a nice little conversation before he flew away. 🥰
You ever see a Pileated Woodpecker on the ground? Me neither, but this guy was about as close as he could get to it.
[ID: A Pileated Woodpecker sits on a rotting log. It's the largest species of Woodpecker in Wisconsin, almost as large as a crow. They are over a foot long and have a wingspan of more than two feet. They are almost all black on the body, tail, and wings, with black and white striping lengthwise along the neck and face. Both males and females have a large red crest that sweeps back off the top of the head. Males like this one have a red "mustache" stripe on either side of the mouth, while females have a black stripe there. This one is looking off to the right, allowing for a good view of his pointy beak, almost as long as the rest of his head. End ID]
I was wandering Bill's Woods at the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve with my family this past August when I spotted this enormous creature. He was digging around in a dead fall about 20 feet from the path, clearly looking for delicious bugs. He was not bothered by my excited whisper of "Pileated!!" to alert my partner and child, and kept at his digging for a minute while I adjusted my camera for the very shady scene.
[ID: The Pileated Woodpecker continues to dig around in an open cavity in the dead fall. In this photo he is facing away from the camera and has momentarily lifted his head to look around. End ID]
My kid was not impressed and continued down the path, allowing his mother only a brief look before she too had to move on to keep him in sight. The Pileated then flew to the base of a large tree to pick around a bit more. Finding nothing of interest, he decided to cross the path, flying about 5 feet above my head!
[ID: The Pileated Woodpecker clings to the base of a large tree. This photo offers a better look at his unusual feet, with two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward. This adaptation helps the bird more easily grab onto to the sides of trees and hop from place to place, using his stiff tail as the third "leg"of the tripod. End ID]
I have a funny relationship with these skittish birds. It seems like they almost never want to show themselves, preferring to call and drum from thick woods. But then they pick the oddest times to show up and act as though us humans are just part of the scenery.
[ID: A Red-headed Woodpecker clings to the top of a dead tree limb. They are mostly black, with bright bands of white on their wings and a dark red (almost burgundy) head. They are looking off to the left with an acorn in their bill, likely looking for a new place to hide it. End ID]
Here's another more recent bird from the archives that I'm particularly proud of. It was our last day visiting Yellowstone Lake State Park in Wisconsin this past October. My partner and kid got out ahead of me because I had heard a call I didn't immediately recognize. It was a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers, collecting and caching fallen acorns. The adult above had stashed the acorn in their bill at the top of the dead tree, but they must have thought better of it when they noticed me spying on their hiding spot!
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), female, taken April 28, 2025, in Georgia, US
A lovely woodpecker mom visiting the feeders! Usually this species is very shy, and I wasn't being particularly quiet this day, so I'm not sure why she even came over lol. Regardless, I got some good pictures of her looking at me over her shoulder between bites! It's about time for me to start seeing her baby (or babies) at the feeders. Juveniles of this species completely lack the red head pattern of adults, having a plain gray head, so they're pretty easy to identify. Maybe I'll see them around!
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens), male, taken March 28, 2025, in Georgia, US
Because of the massive amounts of pollen in the air, birds are now much harder to photograph... I'm way too sniffly and loud to allow them to relax, so nobody really shows when I'm outside (except robins, of course). This guy was willing to take the risk, though! Downies tend to be really bold, though, so that isn't really a surprise!
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens), female, taken March 7, 2025, in Georgia, US
A woodpecker sitting like a perching bird for once in its life... These guys are so funny to watch, especially when they sit on the feeder perches and look around them, flinging their whole body in every direction to get all the best angles. It's quite impressive, honestly, even if they look ridiculous doing it!
Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens), males (1 & 3) and female (2), taken February 10, 2025, in Georgia, US
Their youthful looks and shiny eyes captivate me... They just make such good photos lol! There's so many of them here that I honestly don't know how often I'm photographing the same individual. The male here is the same one, but once they leave the feeder it's impossible to keep track!
Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens), juvenile males, taken May 27, 2024, in Georgia, US
Preparing for this spring and staving off the baby bird withdrawals by posting all of my spring 2024 stuff... Downy fledgelings are the cutest! The babies always look lost, slightly to extremely ruffled, and love looking cutely into the camera because they don't know what the fuck that thing pointing at them is!!
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), male, taken April 27, 2024, in Georgia, US
I have one pair of red-bellieds that visit the feeders year-round, but the male is much bolder and always poses so well! He always makes such nice photographs, but I don't get him often because of how shy he and his mate are. These are some of the first pictures I got of him with my current camera!
Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens), males, taken January 10, 2025, in Georgia, US
Year-round regulars at the feeders! They're always so full of personality. I can't wait to see the babies in the spring—they always look perpetually lost lol!
DEAD WONDERLAND.
A thread between virtuality and truth,
the wind sings,the walls turn black,
shadows run quickly through them.
Does heaven exist in this murky world?
The wind blows hopelessly,
someone's eyes watch through hell.
The silence was a temporary consolation,
a noise-death sentence.
Weapons become poison to life,
and life changes.
That relentless smile,
making its way through
the mind,is getting wider.
The goodnight song flies through the air
and reminds of death.
Death,which they called
paradise and solvation.
Mask hides the face of death,
whispers it's last wishes
before killing someone
for good night.
The gates of hell open..
blood is pouring everywhere...
the flowers are dying along
with the song of the wind.
-t.f.s.
