Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Red-Breasted Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus Ruber



Day 126: I stepped back from close examination of a lichen and in the tail of my eye, caught movement near the base of an alder in a shady spot on the Bud Blancher Trail. By the time my eyes had settled on the tree, there was nothing to be seen but bark and bryophytes. I waited. Suddenly, on the opposite side from where I had initially seen it and about ten feet above, a little red head peeked around the corner. I watched in fascination as a Red-Breasted Sapsucker backed down the tree, tail leading the descent. As I maneuvered into position where I could get an unobstructed view, my little friend skittered out of sight again, reappearing ten feet up just as before. The backwards descent was repeated in shorter increments and not as hastily, and although the bird kept an eye on me to be sure I wasn't up to no good, it was not to be deterred from hunting up breakfast. When I'd got my shot, I moved on, leaving Sphyrapicus to his mining.

No comments:

Post a Comment