{"id":26421,"date":"2012-11-28T06:22:08","date_gmt":"2012-11-28T05:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thebirdersreport.com\/?p=4592"},"modified":"2019-12-22T22:33:22","modified_gmt":"2019-12-22T09:33:22","slug":"lewiss-woodpeckers-put-on-a-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/lewiss-woodpeckers-put-on-a-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Lewis\u2019s Woodpeckers Put On A Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lewis’s Woodpeckers (Melanerpes lewis) usually begin their molt in autumn and it can last through the winter.The bird above appears to be molting (click on photos for full sized images).<\/p>\n

I noticed that they had returned from their breeding grounds a few weeks ago and were showing up in fairly large numbers among the large oaks along the rural route I take to work each morning.<\/p>\n

They have a distinctive plumage and show conspicuous insect hawking behavior from the tree tops, easily seen from the roadway.<\/p>\n

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Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) photos by Larry Jordan<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

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Lewis’s Woodpecker<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

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Lewis’s Woodpecker<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

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Lewis’s Woodpecker<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

These images were taken with my digiscoping setup and I was fortunate to catch this bird as it took off from its perch.<\/p>\n

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Lewis’s Woodpecker In Flight<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

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Lewis’s Woodpecker In Flight<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

I also shot some video of a couple of Lewis’s Woodpeckers, one foraging, possibly on acorns, in an oak tree and another (the bird pictured in the top photo) that was preening in a snag.<\/p>\n

You will hear several other species of birds in the background including the California Quail, Western Scrub-Jay, Northern Flicker, White-breasted Nuthatch and the high pitched chatter of the Lewis’s Woodpecker.<\/p>\n