I've been trying to get over to the Lickinghole Creek/Basin and adjacent Crozet Connector Trail at least once a week to look for the unusual Northern Flicker with reddish orange wing coloring that I spotted on November 19, 2020. As soon as I arrved at the Fairwinds Lane cul-de-sac, my moving car spooked a Northern Flicker from a perch just above eye level and at the edge of the cul-de-sac. I didn't have my camera ready before it flew away. A minute or so later, just after I started hiking, I heard the Flicker call, and hiked back to the cul-de-sac. I saw a male Northern Flicker fly from the edge of the cul-de-sac to another tree a bit deeper in the woods. A quick photo shows the red underwing coloring.
Male Northern Flicker
I got as many photos of this Flicker as I could, and then a female flew in and landed below the male. After a minute or so, the male took off, and then the female. A flight photo of the partial underwing of the female does not show the red coloring. I don't see any facial or other features on the male to indicate a yellow-shafted/red-shafted intergrade, so I suspect that the red feather coloring was a diet-induced effect. If anyone has an opinion to the contrary, I would appreciate hearing them.
Male Northern Flicker
Male Northern Flicker
Male Northern Flicker
Male and female Northern Flickers
Female Northern Flicker
Female Northern Flicker
I continued hiking, and ended up with 26 avian species. Notably missing from my list today are the Bald Eagle and shorebirds.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Carolina Wren
Dark-eyed Junco
I saw a couple of uncommon species for winter months here.
Chipping Sparrow
Eastern Phoebe
This morning's list:
Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal