I was at Kensington last week. We were lucky enough to find the red-headed woodpecker and his friends on this walk.
They don’t care about you, dove, they just want to see me!Hey, settle down woodpecker, they left enough stuff for all of us.Yea, I guess you’re right. I feel bad about my behavior now. Sorry, man. Help yourself.We can still be friends…right?Hey blackbird, I was just telling the dove that there’s enough for everybody.I’ll just take mine to go.Sometimes I forget it’s not all about me.
I'm a long time banker having worked in banks since the age of 17. I took a break when I turned 50 and went back to school. I graduated right when the economy took a turn for the worst and after a year of library work found myself unemployed. I was lucky that my previous bank employer wanted me back. So here I am again, a long time banker. Change is hard.
Until last year I didn’t even know there WAS such a bird. And this is the only place I’ve ever seen one. Not anywhere in the park, just this one corner of the trail on this one stump that is now disintegrating.
I love how you can hear what they are saying. :-) It really is wonderful. The photos are spectacular, as always, but also the heart that you put into “hearing”.
It’s funny. When I look at a string of images later after a long day of shooting I often see whole stories played out that I didn’t recognize in the moment. It’s fun to think about what they might be saying.
I didn’t even know there was such a bird until last year when a friend of mine pointed out a juvenile (whose’ s head is brown!)….and then we started looking for the adult.
These are great bird shots Dawn and fun captions as well. I saw a fleeting glance of a Red-headed Woodpecker at Lake Erie Metropark last year, but not close-up like you have here. I see in the Metropark Photographer Facebook site, a lot of people have been lucky to see this fellow and on this same piece of wood. I see a few decimated trees at the park where I walk daily and it’s hard to believe that one Red-bellied Woodpecker does all that damage himself.
Excellent photography. Beautiful birds. Very interesting love friendship story tailing you. Nice you sharing talking between red-headed woodpecker & dove! Nice understanding between communication. I like birds.
Wonderful images, Dawn! You left a comment on the “Clay” blog that I published today. I read it, replied to it (said, “Thanks, Dawn! I hope to get back in the habit of making art every day, which makes me more confident abut sharing it.”), then accidentally trashed both your comment and my reply. I’m sorry!
It was a fun little spot to stop in. It’s a pretty reliable area too. If you put down sunflower oilers and peanuts you’re gonna get some amazing bird show up.
Change Is Hard 
March 31, 2024 at 5:01 pm
Wow! Gorgeous shots of those beautiful birds!!!
Deb
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April 1, 2024 at 4:44 pm
That red headed woodpecker is a stunner!
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March 31, 2024 at 7:53 pm
LOVE your captions! Have never seen a red headed woodpecker- what a beauty!!
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April 1, 2024 at 4:45 pm
Until last year I didn’t even know there WAS such a bird. And this is the only place I’ve ever seen one. Not anywhere in the park, just this one corner of the trail on this one stump that is now disintegrating.
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March 31, 2024 at 11:31 pm
Nice set of pictures. That is one handsome bird. Love the bright red head.
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April 1, 2024 at 4:46 pm
I know! Isn’t he (or she?) beautiful!! Do you have them up in Maine? I never knew we had such a bird here until last year.
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April 2, 2024 at 11:01 am
We have them at the tip of southern Maine but I’ve never seen one in central Maine.
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March 31, 2024 at 11:34 pm
I love how you can hear what they are saying. :-) It really is wonderful. The photos are spectacular, as always, but also the heart that you put into “hearing”.
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April 1, 2024 at 4:46 pm
It’s funny. When I look at a string of images later after a long day of shooting I often see whole stories played out that I didn’t recognize in the moment. It’s fun to think about what they might be saying.
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April 1, 2024 at 4:47 am
What a great series of images. The captions are gold!
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April 1, 2024 at 4:47 pm
We had a really great time out there that day!
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April 1, 2024 at 4:47 pm
There’s more images coming…if I can find the time to share.
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April 1, 2024 at 10:23 am
What a fantastic photo story, Dawn! Those red-headed woodpeckers aren’t easy to find, and I’m super-happy to see yours up close.
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April 1, 2024 at 4:48 pm
I didn’t even know there was such a bird until last year when a friend of mine pointed out a juvenile (whose’ s head is brown!)….and then we started looking for the adult.
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April 1, 2024 at 2:07 pm
Besides the fabulous commentary, I love the variety of birds at the water cooler… I mean, Stump!
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April 1, 2024 at 4:48 pm
I know, right? It’s a reliable place to see a bunch of birds…just like the water cooler is the place to be after a football weekend!
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April 1, 2024 at 9:18 pm
I bet! Love it!
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April 1, 2024 at 10:01 pm
These are great bird shots Dawn and fun captions as well. I saw a fleeting glance of a Red-headed Woodpecker at Lake Erie Metropark last year, but not close-up like you have here. I see in the Metropark Photographer Facebook site, a lot of people have been lucky to see this fellow and on this same piece of wood. I see a few decimated trees at the park where I walk daily and it’s hard to believe that one Red-bellied Woodpecker does all that damage himself.
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April 2, 2024 at 10:25 am
This is the only place I’ve ever seen one, and he can always be bribed with a peanut! 🙂
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April 2, 2024 at 7:35 pm
So that is the secret – a peanut! He or she keeps showing up in photos on the Metroparks FB site and always on that stump.
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April 1, 2024 at 10:19 pm
Excellent photography. Beautiful birds. Very interesting love friendship story tailing you. Nice you sharing talking between red-headed woodpecker & dove! Nice understanding between communication. I like birds.
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April 2, 2024 at 4:18 pm
Great pictures, as usual. It’s been too chilly to go anywhere interesting lately. Hoping to drive a ways south on Monday to see the eclipse.
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April 3, 2024 at 7:19 am
Wonderful images, Dawn! You left a comment on the “Clay” blog that I published today. I read it, replied to it (said, “Thanks, Dawn! I hope to get back in the habit of making art every day, which makes me more confident abut sharing it.”), then accidentally trashed both your comment and my reply. I’m sorry!
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April 3, 2024 at 7:42 am
don’t worry, glad you saw the comment!
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April 3, 2024 at 7:21 am
I’ve never seen a red headed woodpecker in person. So beautiful! He kind of reminds me of a penguin, but with a red head.
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April 3, 2024 at 8:52 am
I never knew these were around at all before we saw this one.
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April 3, 2024 at 8:27 am
I saw woodpeckers in our area. Your an amazing woodpeckers and beautiful images. Anita
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April 3, 2024 at 8:53 am
thank you!
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April 7, 2024 at 8:42 am
This looks like such a fun little photo shoot! Was Penny with you? If she was she must’ve been quite well behaved. Tell her I said, “good girl!”
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April 17, 2024 at 12:03 pm
No, there are no dogs allowed on the nature trails…we wouldn’t have seen anything at all if she’d been with us!
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April 17, 2024 at 1:31 am
I love your story, Dawn. I can just imagine the birds saying exactly what you said! 🙂
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April 17, 2024 at 12:04 pm
It was a fun little spot to stop in. It’s a pretty reliable area too. If you put down sunflower oilers and peanuts you’re gonna get some amazing bird show up.
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