A Red-headed Friend Pays a Visit

I love it when a friend unexpectedly stops by for a visit. This Red-headed Woodpecker came to see me one morning in late September. The vibrant red and the stark contrast of black/white on his wings were pretty unforgettable. I grabbed my camera and just hoped he would stay awhile. Three hours and a few hundred captures later, he finally flew off. He did visit the next day, but that was the last time he’d make an appearance.
What was really neat was his behavior during both of his visits. He’d grab a peanut piece from the ground feeder and fly it up to a brand new telephone pole that had just been installed on the property. He then would stuff (or ‘cache’) the nutty morsel into one of the pre-drilled holes near the top of the pole. I was hoping this meant he was preparing his winter reserves and that he would become a resident on the property. That actually didn’t happen, but it still was amazing to watch this behavior which I had only read about.