Outdoor Ontario

Birding Reports => Toronto Reports => Topic started by: mr.sharp-photo on April 16, 2010, 08:57:54 PM

Title: (unknown) woodpecker at Brickworks
Post by: mr.sharp-photo on April 16, 2010, 08:57:54 PM

I was at the Brickworks today and was hiking around the upper escarpment. I heard the loud and fast rat-tat-tat-tat! that you usually hear with pileated woodpeckers.
we looked around and i eventually saw the bird fly off and land on the dead tree that's on the front of the escarpment. it was roughly the size of a hairy woodpecker but it was missing the red crown and the size i associated with a pileated woodpecker.

it was overcast today so i couldn't ID the bird. if anyone sees it and can ID it, let me know.

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Post by: Brian Bailey on April 16, 2010, 09:33:34 PM

It was probably a Downy or a Hairy.  In spring, the males like to find something (usually a dead branch) that can make a big sound and then drum fast and loud.  (Downys definitely do it and I believe Hairys do as well.)

BB

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Post by: mr.sharp-photo on April 17, 2010, 08:46:35 AM

seen so many downies and haries that i would be able to easily identify it.
didn't have the same face or look, didn't look like it had the same black back.

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Post by: thouc on April 17, 2010, 09:55:52 AM

Red-bellied Woodpecker or Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is what's left if it was the size of Hairy.

/Thomas