I most often notice flickers as they fly away from me into the distance. It’s only very occasionally that I spot one before it spots me.
That’s exactly what happened a couple of weeks ago, though. I noticed a sizeable bird in the tree ahead of me as I was walking through the bosque. It was silhouetted by the sun and I decided I wanted some photos from its other, lighter side. I stared intently at the ground as I continued walking, as if I had no idea there was a bird anywhere near me, certainly not that bird in that tree, and readied my camera.
Once I was pretty sure I’d walked far enough, I very slowly and deliberately turned around while pointing the camera up at what I now realized was a flicker.1 I was delighted to see him eating the seeds of a Russian olive tree.2 While I’d originally thought it was my stealthy approach that had prevented him from flying, I now wonder if it was just that the seeds were so plentiful and delicious that he simply wasn’t ready to leave.3
I think flickers are incredibly cute, and I especially love their little tummies. Each of the polka dots is actually part of a feather grouping, which you can kinda sorta see in the image above, at the point where the dots make a V shape into its tail.
You also might be able to see a hint of red beneath the flicker’s folded wings above. The undersides of their wings are almost exactly the same color as their tails. I know this because their wings are precisely what I most often see as they inevitably soar off into the wild blue yonder — just as my little friend did after downing a few more treats.
A red-shafted northern flicker, to be precise.
Russian olives were introduced to the American west over a hundred years ago. Aptly named, in light of current events, they are considered invasive and extremely difficult to eradicate.
I know it’s a “he” because of the bright little red spot on each side of his face.
What great shots!! Something similar happened to me walking on the Bosque. I bird flew in and landed right above me. Then their friend joined. I stood still, and they seemed to just ignore me and let me watch them. No delicious lunch for them on that tree though.
What a great 'catch'; thanks Lisa for sharing the beauty of the flicker with us all.