Monday, August 15, 2011

Avian ant-eater



This was a happy surprise this morning. When I went to check out the wood ducks where they hide among the dead trees, I heard the tell-tale clear keew call of a flicker. I finally got close enough, without scaring it off, to get a clear shot of the bird through the bushes. I'm not sure if it was a male or a female, as apparently both sexes have the black cheek patches when they are juveniles (adult females do not have them). The juveniles remain in family groups after fledging, and are fed by the adults for several weeks. The two shots are of the same bird, but after taking the second shot, I noticed it was accompanied by two others.

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