The elusive new bird
2005 December 15
I finally captured the beast on film. Like the Sasquatch and the Loch Ness before it, my new bird evaded my camera for far too long…
I bring you, the foul fowl:
Ok, Lynda, what is it?
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2005 December 16
Hojun4 permalink
The beak looks like that of the woodpecker family…
My guess is that it is either a “Red-Shafted” Northern Flicker or perhaps a Gilded Flicker.
2005 December 16
Lynda permalink
How exciting! Another new bird. I would have to agree with Hojun4 on the family. Rob, you need a bird book!!! Ask Santa for one 
2005 December 17
Kim permalink
Rob, just so you know, you used the incorrect word for bird. It’s fowl, not foul.
Just so you know.
2005 December 19
Karen permalink
That’s an interesting looking bird. We have woodpeckers that like to bang on our guttering at 6:00 am!! Hope this one doesn’t do that to you. Has it discovered your upscale urinal? 
2006 January 14
The elusive bird has been identified!
I was doing some investigation of my own through the internet and was getting somewhat closer, … but called in some more via the internet.
So, with a big thanks to Bill Schmoker from http://www.schmoker.org :
” That’s a Northern Flicker. The red malar stripe (below its bill) tells me its a male and it is the red-shafted subspecies. (Yellow-shafted birds have red on their napes and a black malar stripe.) “
