Knock Knock Knock on Wood
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In the silence of the woods, you suddenly hear the sound of drilling or hammering fill the air. It’s a good chance you’re hearing a woodpecker busy at work.
Maryland has seven species of woodpeckers. And right now, they are all very active, busy stashing food in preparation for any future wintry days when pickings may be scarce.
I’ll share them in size order, starting with Maryland’s smallest, the adorable Downy Woodpecker.
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Downy Woodpecker (male, ID’d by red spot on nape)
Length 5.5-6.7 inches (14-17 cm)
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Downy Woodpecker (male)
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Downy male chasing another male away from his gal
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Downy Woodpecker pair
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Very close in looks to the Downy but larger in length is the Hairy Woodpecker. Its additional ID differences to the Downy is the much larger-looking beak-to-head ratio and lacks the spots along the outer tail feathers.
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Hairy Woodpecker (male, ID’d by red spot on nape)
Length 7.1-10.2 inches (18-26 cm)
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Hairy Woodpecker (male)
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Close in size to the Hairy is the next woodpecker, the beautiful Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (female, she lacks the red throat)
Length 7.1-8.7 inches (18-22 cm)
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Almost the same size to the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is the next woodpecker, the striking Red-headed Woodpecker.
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Red-headed Woodpecker (both sexes look identical)
Length 7.5-9.1 inches (19-23 cm)
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The next woodpecker also has a lot of red on its head, the Red-bellied Woodpecker.
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Red-bellied Woodpecker (male, ID’d by red crown)
Length 9.4 inches (24 cm)
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Red-bellied Woodpecker (male – see its tongue?)
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Red-bellied Woodpecker (female – lacks red crown, both have red nape)
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Red-bellied Woodpecker (male)
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Red-bellied Woodpecker (male)
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Larger than the Red-bellied Woodpecker and just as pretty, the Northern Flicker. Our eastern version is the yellow-shafted tail; the western version is red-shafted.
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Northern Flicker (female, ID’d by lack of black mustache)
Length 11.0-12.2 inches (28-31 cm)
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Northern Flicker (female)
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Finally, the last of the seven and the largest of them all, the Pileated Woodpecker.
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Pileated Woodpecker (male, ID’d by red stripe on cheek)
Length 15.8-19.3 inches (40-49 cm)
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Pileated Woodpecker (male)
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I hope you enjoyed this comparison post of Maryland’s seven woodpeckers. I am fortunate to have all seven local to me. In fact, most of these photos were taken in my backyard.
Quite interesting, there are a total of 23 woodpecker species in the United States!
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Five On The Wing – #33
Another series of five bird species in flight. These are all raptors!
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Red-tailed Hawk
wingspan – 44.9-52.4 inches (114-133 cm)
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Red-shouldered Hawk
wingspan – 37.0-43.7 inches (94-111 cm)
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Cooper’s Hawk
wingspan – 29.5-35.4 inches (75-90 cm)
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Sharp-shinned Hawk
wingspan – 16.9-22.1 inches (43-56 cm)
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Bald Eagle (adult)
wingspan – 80.3 inches (204 cm)
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Throwing in an additional photo of another Bald Eagle that hasn’t reached adulthood for comparison.
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Bald Eagle (immature)
wingspan – 80.3 inches (204 cm)
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Great Blue Heron On Ice
I had an awesome close-encounter with a gorgeous Great Blue Heron walking around on the ice at Eastern Neck NWR a week ago.
Here’s a shortened series of eight shots of the over sixty I took. With the perfect setup, lighting, and a light wind to ruffle those feathers, I couldn’t help myself!
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Great Blue Heron
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Cautiously, the heron walked around, back and forth, slipping and sliding only a few times.
Amazingly, those sharp toenails kept it pretty solid on those feet!
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I was all alone on the road and photographed these from my car. What luck!
But, as always, good things must come to an end, as one, two, then three cars pulled up from the other direction, some getting out of their car.
The Great Blue Heron went into flight towards me, filling my frame.
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I was disappointed the heron had gotten spooked, but to be honest I am thrilled with those flight shots!
We’ve had a temperature ‘warm-up’ the last few days and the ice has since melted, the refuge’s Great Blue Herons are back to some good fishing, no worries!
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Happy New Year 2023
The grand show is eternal.
It is always sunrise somewhere;
the dew is never dried all at once;
a shower is forever falling;
vapor is ever rising.
Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming,
on sea and continents and islands,
each in its turn,
as the round earth rolls.
~ John Muir
Sunrise from Eastern Neck bridge – December 28, 2022
Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge
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Thirty minutes later…..
Along Bogles Wharf Road, Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge
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You are the beloved child of this universe,
so live as if everything is yours.
Every morning the sun is rising for you.
The rays of light are kissing you,
birds are singing for you,
flowers are dancing for you,
and everything belongs to you.
~ Debasish Mridha
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My wish for you is that this year is filled with blessings of love, good health, and true happiness!
Happy New Year, my friends!
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Always Watching For Other Wildlife
While birding, of course, I love to cross paths with other wildlife. What have I seen and photographed lately?
First, I’ll start with a September shot of a frog that somehow jumped ship from another earlier post. Not this time! Ribbit!
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Southern Leopard
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And now the recent ones.
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Empty hive, previous tenants long gone
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White-tailed Deer
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White-tailed Deer (right doe is piebald)
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White-tailed Deer in the fog
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White-tailed Buck always guarding his ‘pond’
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Red Fox
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And finally, a critter loved or hated (depends on which side you’re on), and one I cross paths with often, squirrels!
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Eastern Gray Squirrel
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There’s three or four that come around my back yard, always trying to get a chance at the feeders.
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Eastern Gray Squirrel settles for an acorn
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Trying to dissuade them became frustrating, so I’ve learned to accept them.
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Eastern Gray Squirrel
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And I just laugh at their funny antics!
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Who me?
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1-2-3 Cute As Can Be – #25
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Here’s another series of the smaller birds,
that flit and fly so quick,
they’re training me to be just as fast,
so I can get their click!
😊
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White-breasted Nuthatch
Length 5.1-5.5 inches (13-14 cm)
Weight 0.6-1.1 oz (18-30 g)
Wingspan 7.9-10.6 inches (20-27 cm)
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Red-breasted Nuthatch
Length 4.3 inches (11 cm)
Weight 0.3-0.5 oz (8-13 g)
Wingspan 7.1-7.9 inches (18-20 cm)
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Tufted Titmouse
Length 5.5-6.3 inches (14-16 cm)
Weight 0.6-0.9 oz (18-26 g)
Wingspan 7.9-10.2 inches (20-26 cm)
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House Finches (females)
Length 5.1-5.5 inches (13-14 cm)
Weight 0.6-0.9 oz (16-27 g)
Wingspan 7.9-9.8 inches (20-25 cm)
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Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle – female or immature)
Length 4.7-5.5 inches (12-14 cm)
Weight 0.4-0.5 oz (12-13 g)
Wingspan 7.5-9.1 inches (19-23 cm)
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Length 3.5-4.3 inches (9-11 cm)
Weight 0.2-0.3 oz (5-10 g)
Wingspan 6.3-7.1 inches (16-18 cm)
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet (male) displaying its “ruby crown”
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Carolina Chickadee
Length 3.9-4.7 inches (10-12 cm)
Weight 0.3-0.4 oz (8-12 g)
Wingspan 5.9-7.9 inches (15-20 cm)
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Chicken Of The Woods
I caught sight of a large orange growth on a tree alongside the road and turned around to get another look.
I was able to pull over and walk up to it for some photos of an incredibly large mushroom called Chicken Of The Woods.
Chicken Of The Woods
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This mushroom is edible and considered quite the delicacy. It is said to have a lemony, meaty taste. Most say it tastes like chicken, although some say more like crab or lobster.
I say it is fascinating!
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Chicken Of The Woods
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A side note, you should never eat wild mushrooms without them being expertly identified. Once identified edible, you should still be cautious of stomach problems by eating a little at first to see your reaction before consuming a larger amount.
I know you knew that!
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Chicken Of The Woods close-up
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1-2-3 Medium Bird Jubilee – #13
Our winter’s medium-sized birds have style and class! Check out these five species showing off their beauty.
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Blue Jay
Length 9.8-11.8 inches (25-30 cm)
Weight 2.5-3.5 oz (70-100 g)
Wingspan 13.4-16.9 inches (34-43 cm)
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American Robin
Length 7.9-11.0 inches (20-28 cm)
Weight 2.7-3.0 oz (77-85 g)
Wingspan 12.2-15.8 inches (31-40 cm)
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Common Grackle (male)
Length 11.0-13.4 inches (28-34 cm)
Weight 2.6-5.0 oz (74-142 g)
Wingspan 14.2-18.1 inches (36-46 cm)
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Northern Mockingbird
Length 8.3-10.2 inches (21-26 cm)
Weight 1.6-2.0 oz (45-58 g)
Wingspan 12.2-13.8 inches (31-35 cm)
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Northern Cardinals (females)
Length 8.3-9.1 inches (21-23 cm)
Weight 1.5-1.7 oz (42-48 g)
Wingspan 9.8-12.2 inches (25-31 cm)
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I concentrated on the lower female in the above photo for the next photo composition.
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Northern Cardinal (female)
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Five On The Wing – #32
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Adding to my series of five bird species in flight!
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Belted Kingfisher (female)
Blue Jay
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Eastern Meadowlark
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Killdeer
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Eastern Bluebird
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If I had wings,
Then I could fly.
I’d spread my wings,
I’d span the sky.
If I had wings,
I’d feel so free.
My friend, would you
Come fly with me?
The wind would surely lift us high,
Far above the clouds.
If I had wings, I’d fly with you,
Far from all the crowds!
– Author Unknown
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Bay Photos by Donna 