I visited the bird log on the east side of the Sandias about a month ago. I’m definitely not a birder but then again, I’ll take a photo of anything that stays still long enough, especially if it’s colorful.
Shortly after I arrived, I realized there was a northern flicker in the area. It was hard to follow — I’d track it to one side of the clearing and the next thing I knew, it would be flying from the other side. I managed to nab a few shots anyway.
After a while, the flicker flew into the tree right above me. Then a second flicker flew into the same tree and there was a bit of a commotion. I looked up and this is what I saw:
After I got home and took a closer look at my photos, I realized I had actually gotten shots of both flickers, all while thinking I was tracking a single bird. (No wonder it was so difficult!) The flicker in the photo below is a male; the first shot is of a female.
I think flickers are some of the cutest birds ever.
Flickers are so beautifully marked. I agree with Jodi - cards would be awesome!