A simple, one-subject, dozen-image post to commemorate the visit of a very rare Red-headed Woodpecker to Betsy and Bill’s Norwich, VT yard. This species is almost never seen outside the Champlain Valley in Vermont and very rarely seen in New Hampshire. But this species was “the” woodpecker Jann remembers from growing up in Illinois.
This magnificent species, which has been in existence for over two million years, has declined severely in the past half-century because of habitat loss and changes to its food supply. They catch aerial insects and also eat seeds, nuts, corn, berries, and other fruits. They forage on the ground and up to 30 feet above the forest floor.
When I learned that one was seen in the yard of Betsy Maislen and Bill Schults, I emailed Betsy and asked if I could visit and try to get some photos. I rarely “chase” rare birds, but this one was so close and such a dramatically beautiful bird, I could not resist. Thirty minutes later I joined others in their yard hoping the bird would reappear. About ten minutes after I arrived and perhaps 60 minutes after it was first seen, we spotted it inside a huge crabapple tree. Here it is hopping around in that tree.
At one point it flew to a tree to the north. It was somewhat distant but provided a good look as it sat in the sun for a long minute. That was the only time the woodpecker, used by Cherokee Indians as a war symbol, lingered in one spot for more than a few seconds.
The woodpecker paid several brief visits to a feeder near the house, and that gave me a chance to capture it in flight.
It has taken me five days to post these photos. Such is the problem with spring migration. I have spent nearly every morning, even when it was drizzling, photographing birds that are moving through the Upper Valley and those arriving to make their summer home here. With the exception of the photos in this blog, I have a month of photos waiting to view and edit. What a spring it has been. Maybe in a week or two the pace will lessen and I can get to the birds of spring, 2026. I can hardly wait to see what I have photographed.