For some reason, I associate autumn with woodpeckers. So, since the season is upon us, I thought I’d share photos of a few of the WPs that visit us on Gabriola Island. Right now, a family of flickers is keeping us entertained. Red-shafted Northern Flicker Red-breasted Sapsucker I love Red-breasted …
Northern Flickers, which are common all across North America, occur in two subspecies, Yellow-shafted in the north and east, and Red-shafted in the west. In flight Red-shafted flickers show a salmon-red colour under the wings and tail, whereas the Yellow-shafted show a golden-yellow colour. That seems straightforward enough: red=Red-shafted, yellow=Yellow-shafted. …
I’m in the process of putting in a hummingbird and bee garden on the site of an old greenhouse. There was a sizeable ant colony in the greenhouse, and they’re beginning to surface in the garden. In addition to those ants, I was halfway through spreading cedar mulch around the perennials …
I was quietly enjoying my first cup of coffee this morning, watching the house finches, black-capped chickadees and white-breasted nuthatches at our feeders. Suddenly it sounded like someone had started a jack-hammer in my living room. Then it stopped. Then started again. Not really at my brightest until I’ve consumed …
