Spending a couple of days in Marquette County it was nice to see a Red-headed Woodpecker still hanging around. Every year is different, this species is hit or miss here in central Wisconsin if they hang around for the winter. We are down to one bird as of now. It was a pretty good year for acorns so we will see. Images were taken on December 12, 2022.
I enjoyed nice looks at this beautiful juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker in Marquette County. Some red is coming in on the head. A gorgeous day with some sun and mild temperatures for this time of year. Images were taken on November 6, 2021.
The juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker with some red starting to come in on the head…
I think opening a seed here…
Opening a seed here too, unless it is trying to stick in into the branch for future food…
Best birds of the day were a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers in Marquette County. Other species to note, a Bald Eagle, Tree Swallows, Sandhill Cranes, Eastern Pheobe, Song Sparrows and other common species we see this time of year. The day started out foggy but gave way to full sun late morning. Images were taken on April 5, 2020.
Red-headed Woodpecker, there were 2…
Doing some birding I came across a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers. One bird was bringing insects to the nest hole in a dead oak. The other adult perched at a distance off a ways from the nest hole. I hung around for 3 feedings and then let them be. It was a beautiful day, mostly sunny with some gusts of winds which made for a stunning day out there, and no mosquito’s. Images were taken on June 11, 2018.
Red-headed Woodpecker leaving the nest hole after feeding young…
Bringing the insects to the young after a few minutes…
Going into the nest hole…
Before entering the nest hole…
Leaving…
Just standing by, the young know that…
Another bill full for the young…
Just before entering…
Perched in a nearby tree by the nest hole…
Taking a look around, watching the nest hole too…
I did some birding in Marquette County Wisconsin today. I always enjoy watching the Red-headed Woodpeckers working from sun up to sun down. They get acorns from live trees, break them up in pockets of dead trees and bury the pieces within dead trees or under bark of dead trees. They store these pieces for winter food no matter how deep the snow is, it will always be available. They always seem to store the pieces in trees near nest holes that will probably be used in spring for raising the young. I have a water hole I watch and two of the highlights today were a Brown Creeper and a Red-eyed Vireo. The Red-eyed Vireo is listed as a rare bird for this date in Marquette Co. This bird moved very fast in the couple of seconds I saw it, I just barely got a photo. I have never seen a bird drink like today. It flew across the pond, barely touched the water, opened its bill and grabbed a drink for a second and never slowing down, off it went like a bullet south. Other common birds gave nice shows which is always a treat. Images were taken on November 7, 2015.
Red-headed Woodpecker with a piece of acorn after splitting one up in the top of this dead oak tree, early morning sun
With acorn piece
Hammering a piece of acorn into the hole of the dead tree for winter food
Hammering a piece of acorn into the hole of the dead tree for winter food
Putting a piece of acorn into the hole of the dead tree for winter food
Putting a piece of acorn into the hole of the dead tree for winter food
Just looking around after storing some winter food
Putting a piece of acorn into a crack of the dead tree for winter food
Going to put a piece of acorn into a crack of the dead tree for winter food
Splitting up an acorn in the pocket in the dead oak
Splitting up an acorn in the pocket in the dead oak
Don’t need this shell of the acorn, out it goes!
With a new piece of acorn to go store it for the winter
Red-eyed Vireo, a RARE bird for this date in Marquette Co. WI. 11/7/15
Red-eyed Vireo, a RARE bird for this date in Marquette Co. WI. 11/7/15
Brown Creeper
Brown Creeper
Brown Creeper
Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco bathing
Blue Jay calling
Blue Jay
Blue Jay calling
Black-capped Chickadee bathing
Black-capped Chickadee just out of the water
Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco
Blue Jay on alert!
Blue Jay looking back
Blue Jay posing
A Red-headed Woodpecker adult and juveniles storing acorns for the winter in Marquette County, WI. Photographs taken November 19, 2013.
Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn
Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn
Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn
Adult Red-headed Woodpecker pulling acorn from tree top
Adult Red-headed Woodpecker after removing acorn cap by striking it
Adult Red-headed Woodpecker after dodging acorn cap
Adult Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn
Adult Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn piece
Adult Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn piece
Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker just after storing an acorn piece in tree cavity
To see the gallery of images, please click here.
While birdwatching in Marquette County, I was able to photograph Eastern Bluebirds, a Red-headed Woodpecker, and others on October 26, 2013. Images were taken near a small water source where birds were coming and going, bathing, preening and drinking.
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Bluebird
Red-headed Woodpecker, Juvenile transitioning to the red head
Blue Jay
Blue Jay
Dark-eyed Junco
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Bluebird
To see the gallery of images, please click here.
A Red-headed Woodpecker storing acorns for the winter in Marquette County, WI. Photographs taken October 13, 2013.
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Binomial name: Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Category: Woodpeckers and Allies
Description: Red head with black back and white underparts. The wings are black with white wingtips. Adult males and females have identical plumage (sexually monomorphic).
Size: 7.5″- 9.8″ long, 16.7” wingspan
Weight: 2.0 oz. – 3.4 oz.
Habitat: Deciduous and coniferous forests, orchards, swamps, wetlands, and farmland
Diet: Insects, fruits, berries, nuts, and seeds
Nesting: Nests are built by both partners in cavities of dead trees or utility poles. The males do most of the cavity excavation. Females lay 3 to 10 eggs at one time, up to two broods per season. The first brood is laid in May and incubated for 2 weeks, and hatchlings remain in the nest for 24 to 31 days. Red-headed Woodpeckers often reuse the same nesting cavity year after year.
Notes: The Red-headed Woodpecker stores food, only one of four species in North American known to do so. It may hide nuts, seeds, and insects. In fact, Red-headed Woodpeckers awesome store grasshoppers still alive, stuck in tight crevices or covered with bark. The Red-headed Woodpecker was also featured on a stamp from the United States Postal Service in 1996 and from 1999 – 2006.
Red-Headed Woodpecker with acorn piece to hide under bark
Red-headed Woodpecker just finished breaking apart the acorn with its bill in tree limb pocket
Red-headed Woodpecker just finished breaking apart the acorn with its bill in tree limb pocket
Red-headed Woodpecker takes flight to a nearby tree limb to hide the acorn piece behind bark
Red-headed Woodpecker takes flight to a nearby tree limb to hide the acorn piece behind bark
Dead oak where Red-headed Woodpecker was photographed
Red-headed Woodpecker hiding acorn piece
Red-headed Woodpecker hiding acorn piece
Red-headed Woodpecker takes flight to a nearby tree limb to hide the acorn piece behind bark
For the gallery of images, please click here.
I came across a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers in the South Kettle Moraine near Eagle Wisconsin. It appeared they were setting their sights on a dead oak tree, a place to raise young this year. I watched this pair for almost 2 months and almost daily. I started observing them when they started cleaning out an existing hole in a dead tree. They were getting it ready for the egg laying. As days went by they started bring food to the young. As the young got older they became visible in the hole opening. One thing I’ve noticed photographing these birds was that they took the food into the nest early on. As they chicks got bigger, as they brought the food to the young, they started making the young come closer to the hole opening for it. At the end just before the young left the nest hole, they made the young almost come out of the hole for the food. I noticed too that the adults both feed the young. The adults brought in all different types of food weather it was grasshoppers, daddy long legs, berries, larvae or what ever. That way when the young finally left the nest, they knew exactly what their diet should consist of. It was a truly amazing experience to see this all happen over a period of almost 2 months. I was there the day the young birds finally left the nest hole. I captured one flight out of the hole. Off the birds went and after that day, a big storm came through. Not sure whatever happened to the young birds that fledged the nest as I never saw them again. I did see adults after that day, maybe the adults took them off to a place on their own, not sure. Images were taken over a period from the beginning of May 2012 into the beginning of July.
Binomial name: Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Category: Woodpeckers and Allies
Description: Red head with black back and white underparts. The wings are black with white wingtips. Adult males and females have identical plumage (sexually monomorphic).
Size: 7.5″- 9.8″ long, 16.7” wingspan
Weight: 2.0 oz. – 3.4 oz.
Habitat: Deciduous and coniferous forests, orchards, swamps, wetlands, and farmland
Diet: Insects, fruits, berries, nuts, and seeds
Nesting: Nests are built by both partners in cavities of dead trees or utility poles. The males do most of the cavity excavation. Females lay 3 to 10 eggs at one time, up to two broods per season. The first brood is laid in May and incubated for 2 weeks, and hatchlings remain in the nest for 24 to 31 days. Red-headed Woodpeckers often reuse the same nesting cavity year after year.
Notes: The Red-headed Woodpecker stores food, only one of four species in North American known to do so. It may hide nuts, seeds, and insects. In fact, Red-headed Woodpeckers awesome store grasshoppers still alive, stuck in tight crevices or covered with bark. The Red-headed Woodpecker was also featured on a stamp from the United States Postal Service in 1996 and from 1999 – 2006.
An adult doing some work on the nest hole
An adult doing some work on the nest hole
An adult doing some work on the nest hole
An adult doing some work on the nest hole
An adult doing some work on the nest hole
An adult doing some work on the nest hole
An adult doing some work on the nest hole
An adult doing some work on the nest hole
Both adults doing some work on the nest hole
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
Cleaning out the nest box
An adult on a near by tree bringing food to the young
An adult leaving the nest hole, the other adult just close by
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
An adult to leave the nest hole while the other adult is ready to bring in the next food for the young
An adult leaving the nest hole after feeding the young
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
An adult leaving the nest hole after feeding the young
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
An adult leaving the nest hole after feeding the young
An adult leaving the nest hole after feeding the young
An adult storing some food on a nearby tree
An adult storing some food on a nearby tree
An adult feeding the young
An adult leaving the nest hole after feeding the young
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
An adult leaving the nest hole after feeding the young
An adult just before leaving the nest after bringing food to the young
An adult just before landing at the nest hole with food for the young
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
An adult just before landing at the nest hole with food for the young
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
On going adults bring food to the young, different types of food, insects, berries, etc.
An adult just before landing at the nest hole with food for the young
An adult off in a distance from the nest. This happens sometimes as they prepare the food before bringing it into the nest hole to eat. It may be compacted some what of whatever the bird does at this time in preparation
A young Red-headed Woodpecker sticks its head out of the nest hole waiting for an adult to bring in the next food
Adult bringing food to the young. As I noted, the adults draw the young closer to the nest hole opening till they are just about out of the hole to get the food
Adult bringing food to the young. As I noted, the adults draw the young closer to the nest hole opening till they are just about out of the hole to get the food
Adult bringing food to the young. As I noted, the adults draw the young closer to the nest hole opening till they are just about out of the hole to get the food
Adult bringing food to the young. As I noted, the adults draw the young closer to the nest hole opening till they are just about out of the hole to get the food
Adult bringing food to the young. As I noted, the adults draw the young closer to the nest hole opening till they are just about out of the hole to get the food
Adult bringing food to the young. As I noted, the adults draw the young closer to the nest hole opening till they are just about out of the hole to get the food
Adult bringing food to the young. As I noted, the adults draw the young closer to the nest hole opening till they are just about out of the hole to get the food
Adult bringing food to the young. As I noted, the adults draw the young closer to the nest hole opening till they are just about out of the hole to get the food
Adult bringing food to the young. As I noted, the adults draw the young closer to the nest hole opening till they are just about out of the hole to get the food. This bird is showing some for the red on the back of the head already
a young Red-headed Woodpecker with a berry in its bill
A young Red-headed Woodpecker sticks its head out of the nest hole waiting for an adult to bring in the next food
The maiden flight for this young Red-headed Woodpecker leaving the nest. It was one of 2 birds that left the nest that day
Young Red-headed Woodpecker off in a distance in some near by oaks after it left the nest. Already eating something here
