Northern Flicker. Red-Shafted Flicker. Colaptes Auratus. Call 'em what you will. In my book, they're "Polka-dotted 'Peckers," and I love 'em, except for when they're drilling on the posts holding up my carport to remind me that I haven't put a suet cake out lately. The Golden-Shafted race lives on the other side of the Cascades, but where the ranges intersect, they occasionally interbreed. I had a cross here a few years ago which threw me for a loop. It didn't look right, and it took some research to figure out why it didn't fit the profile for Red-Shafted. Crosses play hob with identification! But this one is the classic figure of a male with its red "moustaches." The red feather shafts which once led scientists to classify it as a different species are clearly visible along the margin of the wing.
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