The Recluse Woodpecker of the North... Black-backed Woodpecker

excellant! I saw for the first time, and photographed a male last spring in E. Washington. All I got was ID photos. Nothing like yours. Way to go.
Rex

Nice!!

I am really a bit jealous Dave! While this species is present in Northwestern Ontario, it is a bird I've been trying to photograph for some time now, without much success. Well done.

NICE!!! I love these guys!

Congrats, Dave, not only for finding him but the way in which you ID'ed from a distance and then stalked him. Excellent work and a beautiful bird.

Wow! Fabulous bird and great birding from you again Dave.

Your photos are always a treat, and your field note narratives make them even better.

Congratulations on these, and thanks for another great post.

Kenn

Awesome find Dave,a very elusive bird indeed .

Knowledge, skill and persistence pay off well! Congratulations Dave.

That's a new one to me db. Some beautiful shots of this great looking male. What a thrill for you and us. We had about 15 inches of snow over the weekend, I stayed inside...heh..heh. I don't feed the birds anymore, but gave my neighbor all my feeders so they will be well fed though the winter. Too many problems with squirrels, chipmonks, deer, elk, ravens, cowbirds, grackles, crows and mice. The ravens are really bad here, large flocks of up to 20 hanging around destroying the feeders and keeping the little birds away. I see 3 woodpeckers at the neighbors, one of them is my little buddy. The Jays are there too.

Very Nice ! Ist time i have ever seen this species.

Great catch and thanks for conducting a master class with your note.

Is there a glitch in the EXIF data or did you really shoot at f/1.5 300mm?

Camera Maker: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS 7D
Image Date: 2011-02-19 01:55:44 (no TZ)
Focal Length: 300.0mm
Aperture: f/1.5
Exposure Time: 0.0063 s (1/160)
ISO equiv: 320
Exposure Bias: +0.33 EV
Metering Mode: Spot
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)
Flash Fired: No (enforced)
Orientation: Normal
GPS Coordinate: undefined, undefined

Congrats on a great find and excellent images, Dave. Your knowledge and patience sure paid dividends. I'm very happy for you.

Jack Cooper wrote in post #11880250
Very nice.

Thanks Jack.

Wallace River wrote in post #11880266
Very unique and nicely shot. Love 'em!

I wish I could find him more often, but I feel fortunate to see him a couple times a year.. thank you Ian.

hTr wrote in post #11880278
I can't Say I've ever seen one Dave, Fantastic Capture and Good Woodsmanship!!!

A true denizen of the forest, they are perhaps the most docile of the woodpeckers I have observed... thanks my friend.

kmunroe wrote in post #11880529
nicely captured Dave

Thank you Kenny.

CDMOOSE wrote in post #11880598
Good for you, Dave; I haven't seen one of these for a couple of years now.
Al

I suspect you will see one soon in the bogs you have been frequenting, the tell-tale bark scrapes you described will turn one up for you... thanks Al.

Nighthound wrote in post #11880747
Wow what an incredible find and impressive photos as well. I have not seen photos of this bird other than in books so thanks for sharing these and your write-up makes them all the better. Thanks Dave.

I always feel fortunate to discover the Black-backed and Three-toed; with these woodpeckers, it is better to be "lucky than good"... thanks for commenting Steve.

Shar824 wrote in post #11881052
He's gorgeous db....how lucky that your heard and found him. These are wonderful shots.

I do have one better shot I should have posted Sharon... perhaps I will do a post of the "woodpeckers of my ridge" some day and include it... thanks again.

L.J.G. wrote in post #11881082
A great catch Dave. It sounds like you put a lot of effort into your birding so it is nice to see you reap the fruits of your labour.

The odds are, from all the hours I put in walking the forest, I come up with something semi interesting... but this episode was pretty much being in the right place at the right time thanks to my chickadees... I was fortunate for the find and capture... thanks L.J.G, I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

K6AZ wrote in post #11881362
That's a really interesting woodpecker. Nice shots of him. Looking at the range map I see it's not one for me to be on the lookout for.

Thank you!.. I find them to be very interesting to watch work... as I mentioned, they are the "blue collar" woodpecker of the northland... when they focus on their feeding and you are quiet... over the years I have watched them drill and scrape for hours... I got more tired watching than they did feeding

drama wrote in post #11881389
Lovely bird, very well captured
First time I am seeing one

Lot of my birding acquaintances haven't had the good fortune to see one either... I have tried for years to find the male when my son visits... but so far no luck... thank you Drama.

BGgraphy wrote in post #11881413
congrats Dave, great catch there, you certainly earned it, excellent shots as usual, Well done sir!

Hi Bret... thank you, I was pretty lucky to hear and find him... possibly "dumb luck" as they say here on the tundra.....

Candor wrote in post #11881466
I doubt I will ever see one of these because if I move anywhere it will likely be south so thanks for the opportunity so see it here. Great write up and shots db and congrats on such an elusive little wp.

I can't say I can argue with your "moving direction", it sounds quite "sane" to me.. this time of the year, I look longingly at the Arizona and Florida warm weather photos... except for my buddy Steve, stuck floundering in the 15 inches of snow at the Grand Canyon... perhaps "misery loves company" thanks Mike.

markmizzou wrote in post #11882409
Great shots -- I have never seen one of these!

Thanks for commenting Mark... I hope you get the chance to see one someday.

Paul A wrote in post #11882513
Way to go Dave, good work!

Thanks so much Paul.

I can see why you were so pleased to come across this fellow. It's always nice to see something a bit out of the ordinary!
Excellent write up as well.
Mike

Nice find and great results!

Wow-you really know your birds! That is prob.one I will never see. Terrific find and shots!
Karen