Ivory billed Woodpecker , Imperial Woodpecker Specimen at Chicago's' Field Museum

 Editor's note: This was an older posting that I never got around to posting until now.

I've seen about 19-20 species of woodpeckers* in North America, and I think it would be safe to say they are some of my favorite bird species. I actually attended a Woodpecker festival in Sisters Oregon several years ago to see as many western species as I possibly could in one area. I was happy to see two species of woodpecker that were endemic to SE USA, Cuba and Mexico - The Ivory billed Woodpecker and the Imperial Woodpecker at Chicago's Field Museum. For those who have not been to that museum, I thought I would share photos of the specimens they have on display.

*WOODPECKERS

1. Red-headed Woodpecker
2. Red-bellied Woodpecker
3. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
4. Downy Woodpecker
5. Hairy Woodpecker
6. Northern Flicker
7. Lewis’s Woodpecker (Penticton BC)
8. Pileated Woodpecker
9. Black Backed Woodpecker (Algonquin)
10. Red Cockaded Woodpecker (FL)
11. American Three Toed Woodpecker (OR)
12. Williamson's Sapsucker (OR)
13. White Headed Woodpecker (OR)
14. Red Napped Sapsucker (OR)
15. Red breasted Sapsucker (OR)
16. Arizona Woodpecker (AZ)
17. Gila Woodpecker (AZ)
18. Ladder Backed Woodpecker (AZ)
19. Acorn Woodpecker (AZ)

Good Birding!

Dwayne

Northern Shrike & Winter Raptorfest in Melbourne ON

 

Happy New Year!  I had driven afar to pick up a new lens on Jan 5th and on the way home, I figured I would try my luck with Northern Shrike and sure enough, I was able to find one. I was a little surprised at how nice the Melbourne Ontario (Mayfair?) area was - It has lots of side roads to traverse through and has some nice pasture, nature, waterway and farmers field habitat. 

The lens I had picked up was a little bit of a treat - a 200-600mm telephoto, which in cropped sensor mode offers a breathtaking, frame-filling, 900mm of zoom strength. I have a big learning curve with this lens but I figured between birdwatching and astronomy - I can enjoy this lens and get some value out of it for a few years. 

 

This Shrike was my personal highlight on this trip. I was able to get a few shots while sitting in my car with this bird 30-40m away from me. My goal when photographing birds is to appreciate the bird from a distance, get some photos without disturbing the bird, then quietly moving on. I was photographing this Merlin through a crack in my car's sunroof!

Soon after seeing the Shrike, I had noted many raptors - Mainly Red-tailed Hawks - but also seeing the following, all taken from my car: Bald Eagles, Rough-legged Hawk, Eastern Bluebirds, another Merlin, and a Coopers Hawk.

Overall - this was a nice stop and not too far away from home. Melbourne is just south of London ON. A beautiful place with some nice winter raptors. 

Good Birding,

Dwayne