A photo a day from Oriental, NC, the surrounding Pamlico County area, and nearby rivers, creeks, bays and other waterways of coastal North Carolina.


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Sunday, October 12, 2008

10.12- Red-bellied Woodpecker


Red-bellied woodpecker hunts for bugs in a Persimmon tree next to Oriental Harbor.
I heard a very noisy bird call as I was riding past the Dinghy Dock this afternoon (returning home from sailing in the Bauer 10)...

I stopped and listened until I finally spotted the source up in a Persimmon tree.

I got a few pictures of the bird, which I did not recognize, but suspected was a woodpecker due to its' behavior (pecking at the tree bark and pulling bugs out).

Back at home I found the bird, officially Melanerpes carolinus in one of my bird guides. The bird in today's picture is a male.

I'm not sure where the "carolinus" in the latin name comes from, but this bird's habitat extends across the U.S. from Atlantic Ocean into the Great Plains (excluding most of New England)...

It is a fairly common bird, but it is a brand new addition to my own life-list.
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1 comment:

Jane Hards Photography said...

That is a wonderful catch of such an elusive bird and all those complimenting colours. Wonderful shot.