Red-Headed Woodpecker
Melanerpes erythrocephalus
May 3, 2020
 



It has taken 16 years of living in State College, Pennsylvania, before seeing my first red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus).
 
Red-headed woodpecker
 

Actually, to be more exact, the red-headed woodpecker found Sue and me, rather than the reverse. Sue spotted the woodpecker while we were having breakfast on a very rainy morning. By the time I returned with a camera, the woodpecker flew away. However, several minutes later, it came back.
 
Red-headed woodpecker
 

The red-headed woodpecker landed in the tree and then hopped down the trunk until it reached the ground. There the woodpecker picked up a corn kernel and flew up into the tree.

As the rain continued heavy, the red-headed woodpecker stayed underneath a branch to dry out.
 

Red-headed woodpecker
 
  All in all, it was the type of sighting to go dancing in the rain - if it didn't mean frightening away all the birds.

Photo note: For the first two photos I used a Pentax K-3, with the Pentax 60-250mm lens, and for the third a Pentax K-3ii, with the Pentax 150-450mm lens, on April 30, 2020.




My Pennsylvania bird list

Look Out!   |   Contact