A pair of northern flickers provided a bit of colour and entertainment as they whirled through the air and weaved among trees Sunday, April 13.
The annual spring ritual is a familiar one to anyone working to get their yards cleaned up or doing maintenance on vehicles, RVs, boats, ATVs and motorcycles to get ready for the warmer months.
Unsure of the identity of the birds, I dispatched a message to local ornithologist Clive Keen and was told they were without a doubt Flickers, as my wife had said, and though they look exotic they are perfectly at home in a PG winter and all-year-round.
Cornell Lab All About Birds tells us: "Flickers appear brownish overall with a white rump patch that’s conspicuous in flight and often visible when perched. The undersides of the wing and tail feathers are bright yellow, for eastern birds, or red, in western birds. With a closer look you’ll see the brown plumage is richly patterned with black spots, bars, and crescents.
"Look for flickers in open habitats near trees, including woodlands, edges, yards, and parks. In the West you can find them in mountain forests all the way up to treeline."
