Friday 27 April 2012

Poor Northern Flicker bit the dust


I found its body just under the back deck, out on the back lawn. It may have flown into the window. I don't know.






They love those bugs
hunting for bugs

I am certain it is one of the pair that nest on the other side of the septic bed, in the forest.
 I'm not sure how it met its demise. The cats were in, the hawk is always out. Poor Batman, not a robin, was taken out, I think, by a blue jay or hawk. There are many predators about.

Eastern have yellow highlights,
the western are red!
I feel badly. I'm not really sure what to do with it. In the meantime, I've taken photos to celebrate its beauty, and it's in the freezer. I had a friend who taught courses and had all sorts of road kill in her freezer!

The last time I found a critter, it was a dead downy woodpecker. I similarly saved it, to show to grandkids Jofee and Isabelle. Papa was a bit grossed out, but I am an amateur naturalist, and I like looking closely at creatures we normally cannot touch. Mommy was cool! She's used to me taking bug photos and capturing creatures!

The Norther Flickers in the east have yellow. The ones in the west have red highlights.

From uCornell's Lab:
Northern Flickers are browner than Red-bellied Woodpeckers, which have a black-and-white barred back and bright red crown. The Gilded Flicker of southern Arizona looks like a mix between yellow-shafted and red-shafted Northern Flickers: a plain brown crown and gray face paired with yellow shafts to the flight feathers.


For my blog friends, here are my close-up photos.










   



6 comments:

Paula said...

Poor little flicker :( Some gorgeous photos in this post. We once had an owl hit our front window head on and break it's neck. So sad. Two weeks ago a little robin hit another one of our windows. It really stunned itself and after watching it to see if it would be O.K., it did manage to fly away after about 1/2 an hour.

TexWisGirl said...

so very sorry to lose this beauty. just don't see them enough as it is.

Red said...

If I'm included in the west most flickers here are yellow. I've only seen one red and he(she) was absolutely impressive.

Anonymous said...

Poor dear! Lovely photos but sad to lose one.

Kay L. Davies said...

You're right. Ours have red highlights!
So sad that it died if it was one of a pair.
I can well imagine your husband's horror about dead wildlife in the freezer. I understand the naturalist's need for knowledge, but I think I'd rather keep my freezer for "people food" (as we call it, to distinguish it from "dog veggies" etc.)
K

Christine said...

so sorry, such is the circle of life, so sad!