Norther Flicker Sunday

I had filled the feeders back up with a mixed seed and put out a peanut butter suet block in the far feeder.  Lady K and I were enjoying a quiet Sunday morning with an extra hour in it, when I caught sight of a rather large bird at the feeder.  One much larger than my little finches and sparrows.  And one I had never seen before.

A bright chap with that red patch on his face and all the dots and lines and colors.  I scrambled to take pictures (I keep my camera by the chair in the room) as he was going to town on the suet.

As you can see, he dwarves the other birds at the feeder.

This is a Northern Flicker and being on the western side of the country, he is considered a Red-Shafted version of a Northern Flicker.  As you can probably guess by his beak, he is in the woodpecker family and normally eats ants and beetles.  One of the few woodpeckers to actually feed on the ground.  Hopefully, I can keep him hanging around for the winter.

Note to self:  go buy more suet!