Week 10 – Downy Woodpecker

Spring is definitely in the air around Boise as temperatures rise into the 60s. The Red-winged Blackbirds are out in full force pushing forth their harsh song, and Song Sparrows can be heard up and down the Boise River. I am waiting anxiously for those first spring migrants to appear from the south. Meanwhile, the resident species that survived the cold Idaho winter are beginning to think about breeding and some species, like the Great-horned Owl, are already laying eggs. Most woodpecker species are year-round residents as well. One might think that our smallest woodpecker species, the Downy Woodpecker, would migrate to warmer climates during winter, but they endure the harsh winter just like their larger kin. I was able to photograph this female Downy at the Foothills Learning Center while she moved between trees looking for insects in the bark.

Female Downy Woodpecker. Photograph by Neil Paprocki.

All of the previous 52-week blog photos can be found at the Wild Lens blog or on Flickr.