Photos by Stan Tekiela / www.naturesmart.com
Unmistakable: Named for the brilliant red head, this dapper woodpecker delights birdwatchers everywhere. While populations of Red-headed Woodpecker have historically fluctuated, they seem to be declining in recent years. Will loss of habitat and other factors mean a loss of this dapper bird?

By Stan Tekiela

The temperature was hovering just below freezing and I was going on my sixth hour of sitting in my four foot by four foot nylon blind waiting. This is when this job gets a little mind numbing. I was waiting to photograph an elusive bird when I realized a question kept running through my head over and over—when is a woodpecker not a woodpecker? I answered myself—when it is a Red-headed Woodpecker. Perfect theme for this week’s column. So here it goes.

As far as a species goes, I think the Red-headed Woodpecker is the woodpecker most unlike other woodpeckers. Let me explain.

Catch the rest of the story in the February Issue of NatureScape News!        Previous Highlight