Melanerpes erythrocephalus

HABITAT: GROVES, FARM COUNTRY, ORCHARDS, SHADE TREES
L 9.25" WS 17" WT 2 oz * LIFESPAN >10 YRS.

As I drove through the narrow winding roads that disect the open woods, a familar white flash of wings glided gracefully from
one tree to another. Once again I would be entertained by the antics of the Red-headed Woodpecker.
It clung confidently to the far side of the trunk, scampering from one side to the other to peek at me.
A game they seem to enjoy. I sat quietly observing, knowing that it would soon become accustomed to my presence and go about
it's business of collecting acorns and other morsels for storage in the crevices of tree bark. Dropping to the ground a mere 15 feet from me,
it scratched at the ground and threw leaves above it's head in search of that brown capped "pearl" hiding amidst nature's carpet.
On this day, as on many others, I was not denied the opportunity to photograph and be amused by this beautiful bird.

Below is a collection of some of the photos accrued from the many months of encountering Red-headed Woodpeckers here in South Central Pennsylvania.
They have disappeared from much of their former range due to European Starlings taking over their nesting sites.
They are uncommon to locally common throughout most of the state. Here in Adams County, they seem to thrive on the Gettysburg Battlefield,
at least for now. Logging and clear cutting may have a detrimental effect on them here in the near future as they
lose more and more of their natural habitat. And so it was my intention to document this species here,
should they someday be forced to move on to a more hospitable environment.

*MORE ABOUT RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS*

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