3 toed w-pecker on Giant

[DLHiker]

I came upon a close up sighting of black-backed three toed woodpecker on Giant last week. I've been looking for one of those for years!

[Boreal Chickadee]

A life bird. Congratulations!

[AdkWiley]

Good spot! I cant seam to get away form seeing teh hairy woodpeckers, those littel buggers are everywhere!

[DLHiker]

I know what you mean. I did a double take on this one b/c her markings were so different. She was up pretty high, I thought, we were maybe 5 minutes from the Rocky Peak Ridge trail junction.

[Grey-Jay]

There are actually two woodpeckers with three toes in the Adirondacks . . .the Black-backed Woodpecker and the American Three-toed Woodpecker. The Black-backed has a pure black back while the American has whitesh markings. My guess would be on Giant, the former. If you saw the American, it would be a very rare find and important for bird records to record. Feel fee to check a bird reference, including my website photos of each for ID help.

Regards, Jeff Nadler

https://www.jnphoto.net

[DLHiker]

I am certain it was a black backed three toed.

[Tunabelly]

Black backed WP

As I told DL, I too, saw a Black-backed WP on top of Seward Mtn. of the Seward Range, but mine had a bright yellow wedge on the head. I was thinking it was an adult male. What's the distinction Arctic Black-backed? I saw the term on the internet, but never saw a picture. I was surprised to see this species in winter on top of a High Peak.

Tuna

[Boreal Chickadee]

Be careful when identifying a bird that does not quite fit the text description. This came thorugh recently on the Cayuga Bird List Serve. The author is one of the most highly respected ornithologists in the birding community.

"I just added a photograph to the Cayuga Bird Club photo bulletin board of
an unusual Red-bellied Woodpecker that I saw on Tehan Road in Dryden,
Tompkins county, NY, on Saturday. It has some major color problems, and
where it should be red it is golden yellow. It looks very much like a
Golden-fronted Woodpecker, but you can tell what it really is by the
black-and-white barred central tail feathers. View the photos at

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/CayugaBirdClub/photobb.html

This aberrant condition in a Red-bellied Woodpecker is significant to me
because years ago one was seen in Florida and reported as an out of range
Golden-fronted. It fit the main field marks, after all. But then people
pointed out the tail (clearly Red-bellied), and revealed that it was just a
mutant of a common species. It really struck home to me that when you are
dealing with a rare bird you need to see something else other than the
"defining" field mark. If it really is the rarity it seems, something
else, often subtle, will differ too. If it's just an odd individual of a
common species, you won't find those other differences.

Kevin"



I'll try to attach the photo he refers to. Amazing the color differences that can occur.