Seeing Red...and Burgundy

Here's a better photo - still a bit dark to be "true" in terms of the color.   Anyway, I've continued working on "Winter Walk" - I took a break from the border and have been stitching the snowman's burgundy hat.

For my Outdoor Wednesday post, I thought I'd show you all the different kinds of woodpeckers I've seen in the last week or so.  My Monday sighting was particularly exciting!

First off, a female Hairy Woodpecker - the male looks exactly the same, but with a bright red spot on the back of the head.

This is a male Downy Woodpecker.

He has a much smaller, shorter bill than a Hairy Woodpecker, and is smaller in stature.

And this is a Northern Flicker - I love the feather pattern on the body and the shocking red-orange color of the throat.

But my big excitement (literally and figuratively) came on Monday morning, when I was out on my bird-feeding patrol.  As I fed the California Quail and brush bunnies, I realized I could hear the maniacal laughter of a Pileated Woodpecker! 

I looked down the property a bit to a snag at the edge of the woods...and there he was!

(Guys have a red line by their bill, gals don't).

You can see the red line by the bill in this photo. 

Pileated are large - 15"-19" tall, and are such striking birds.  As they are mainly insectivores, I don't ever expect to see them at my suet feeder.  I generally spot them at the edge of our 2nd growth Douglas Fir forest or in a snag in a forest clearing.  

I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy an Outdoor Wednesday - ours is dark, and gray, and mild with rain showers.