Woodpeckers Everywhere

Red-bellied Woodpecker - Everglades National Park, Florida

I was going stir crazy sitting in front of the computer all day, so this evening I headed out for a walk in the woods.  I decided to explore a patch of forest known as Monkey Run as I had never been there before, and an immature Red-headed Woodpecker had been seen there a couple times in the last few days.

It was a nice evening with a light overcast sky and very comfortable temperature.  I explored a couple trails and saw a lot of birds.  Several large foraging flocks of Black-capped Chickadees included White-breasted Nuthatches and a lone Brown Creeper. American Robins are still around in fairly large numbers and I even had a single Hermit Thrush.  The White-throated Sparrows are migrating through right now and about at their peak, though the best sparrows of the day were a couple of Fox Sparrows.

However, I was there to search for a Red-headed Woodpecker, an uncommon bird for the area.  I saw nearly every woodpecker species found in the area with the glaring exception of the Red-headed.  Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers were quite common and I saw a couple of Red-bellied Woodpeckers and a single Northern Flicker.  The ever popular Pileated Woodpecker made a single appearance but I missed out on the young Red-headed Woodpecker.  However, despite that miss I had a really great walk and am feeling rejuvenated and can get back to work this evening.