Here's A New Friend.

Red-Breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber).

This little fella has been hanging out on the Chinese elm which is only a few feet from our front door. When he is feeding on the bugs and such in the bark of the tree he moves up and down and around the trunk, but most of the time he is just hunkered down about four feet from the ground on the lee side of the tree where he is easily watched. Although most of these birds are usually quite shy, this one and I have become "friends" enough for me to slowly come within about six feet while softly talking. (If I am not talking, however, he moves away much sooner.)

Of all the varieties of woodpeckers in North America, the Red-Breasted Sapsucker is the only one with an entirely red chest ,neck, and head free of white or black markings. The Red-Headed Woodpecker in other regions has the red head and neck, but not a red breat and he is not found in the Pacific Northwest. Other than his remarkable color, our guy is primarily patterned in white and black on tail, back and wings. From top to tip overall this little bird is only eight inches, or so.

My first encounter with this specie came in very early morning hours on an Alaska campout north of Juneau in a meadow just above the high tide line. Awakened by a loud rapping about a foot above my head I peared out of my mummy bag to see a sapsucker trying the tent post in search of breakfast. He stayed several minutes before deciding there were no grubs or bugs in the driftwood stick holding up the shelter. My view of him in the 5:00 AM sunshine was a highlight of all my bird watching experiences.

In other woodpecker news, on the north side of the house outside the dining room window, I am enjoying the three or four pairs of Red-Shafted Northern Flickers (Colaptes Auratus) which are sharing the suet in alternate visits with other birds. I am keeping an eye (and binoculars) on one occasional little one which either a Downey Woodpecker or a Hairy woodpecker. Those are so much alike, I haven't nailed this little guy yet with a positive identification, but he is a delight to watch. The only other birds which he tolerates while feeding are the cloud of bushtits which seem to appear every two or three hours on their neighborhood rounds. Somehow they all find room on the wire holder to seek the suet inside.