Three-toed Woodpecker

Heard forest distant drumming

Patience. Luck. Photos.

Katy, my birding buddy and I went looking for the American Three-toed Woodpecker today.  We had yet to see this elusive bird and decided to go look for one.  We knew that it likes to hang out in recently burned areas so we drove to a likely area where one had reportedly been  seen on several occasions. On a chilly morning we hiked a short distance on a trail and eventually heard distant drumming.  An app on our phone confirmed it was the bird that we were looking for..  The drumming was way up on a very steep hill and Katy and I searched for a way to bushwhack up to where the drumming was coming from.  We had gone a short way when the bird started drumming closer and near to the trail.  We descended and finally spotted the bird and I was able to carefully maneuver and get some photos.  Audubon says “They obtain food directly by scaling, flaking or pecking off the bark.”  A number of my photos show this behavior.