• Wednesday-What'sUP May 2 - 07:19 pm

If you've ever been walking along on a country road or in the woods UP North, you've most likely scared up one of these woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker. Today's photos from Frederic W. Koski give us a better look at this "richly patterned" bird, sporting spots, stripes and varied colors. Most woodpeckers can be found up in trees, hammering away, looking for bugs to eat, but the Flicker stays closer to the ground to find their dinner, which consists mostly of ants and beetles.

Frederic said the Flicker in the top photo is a male, who is "in waiting", while the two females in the second photo, perform a courtship dance to win him over. What is the saying? In the spring a young man's fancy, lightly turns to thoughts of love." I guess that includes our feathered friends, too.

Love the pictures today. But then, I love bird pictures. Thanks!

Nice pics...Lady Gaga would be proud.

That top shot is better than in either of my bird books.

Amen to that JAD....Frederic's pics are always beyond stunning! And today's continue that tradition! Thank you!

Love that bird's polka dots!

The first time I had a chance to observe a flicker was many years ago, and I wondered why he always stayed so close to the ground....thanks to you, Mary, now I know. :> They're big and beautiful.

What a pretty bird! Strange that the females do the courtship competition over males in this species. With most bird species, it's the other way around, with males trying to impress and win over females or compete with each other for females and territory.

I love the Flickers....and all the birds. Great pics! The partridges always seem to give me a start though!

An awesome, perfect, clear shot of this bird. Way to go Frederic.

Beautiful photos, you're right Greta, that top one is perfect. And the bottom one, really like the lighting with the shadows!