What an exciting day it is when a new unexpected bird species takes up residence on any birder’s home property. We recently had this experience when a Red-headed Woodpecker pair showed up and started a family in an old dead Ash tree in the woods just over our property line. The pair spent a considerable amount of time in our front yard being literally, “yard birds” (above). As we watched them fly into the woods, we noticed they frequently went to the top of several dead trees clumped together where, even at a great distance, they stood out (photo 2).

As we watched them more and more, we noticed that they were flying into a couple of ash trees at the edge of our yard that we have paid considerable sums of money to save from the deadly Emerald Ash Borer. This is where we got the first photos of the birds in the trees (photo 3). Then they began flying down to the ground and up into the lower part of the trunks of several trees bordering our yard, where we were able to get a number of photos, includ-ing this lovely portrait shot (photo 4). Note: I say “we” because while I took most of these shots, Jewel took some of them, and I frankly don’t remember which are hers and which are mine.

As both the male and female Red-headed spent more and more time in our yard, we began to wonder what they were finding there. You can imagine our surprise when we discovered they were pretending to be Robins, eating worms (photo 5). A little research disclosed that Red-headed Woodpeckers have a very varied diet. They eat in-sects, spiders, earthworms, nuts, seeds, berries, wild and cultivated fruits, and occasionally small rodents. They have also been known to eat eggs and nestlings of other birds, and sometimes even eat bark from trees.

With some diligent watching of the pair coming and going, we were able to discover the location of the Red-heads nest. It was located just under the broken off branch of a dead ash tree (photo 5). Jewel spent several hours watch-ing the pair coming and going to the nest site hoping to get a photo of one of the young birds peering out of the hole. She took a great many photos of the empty hole (photo 6), but none disclosed any young birds. Young Red-headed Woodpeckers have brown heads and are quite easily distinguished from their parents.

In the first few weeks after their arrival at our property they flew back and forth from our yard to the trees border-ing the yard. This afforded an excellent opportunity to see the tremendous amount of white on their backs and wings they displayed as they flew (photo 7). On the few occasions when we were able to see the underbelly as well as the wings in flight, the amount of white on them was even more pronounced (photo 8).

More recently we have found they are no longer frequenting our front yard as they were earlier. We don’t know what has caused this change in their behavior, but they are now spending almost all of their time in the woods and around the nest hole.

Finally, after taking a great many photos from my photography blind set up in our front yard, the Red-headed Woodpecker seemed to be annoyed by the constant clicking of my camera. He, or she, as they, unlike any other woodpecker species, are both identical and can only be told apart as to male or female by DNA, looked at me with this quizzical look, which seemed to say, “What are, you, some kind of sick voyeur?” (Photo 9) Probably the female.

Finding a new species in the yard is a little like winning the lottery. You create a bird friendly space for birds and have high hopes they will see it that way, much like simply buying a lottery ticket. When some birds start coming around it is interesting to note that your plan seems to be working, much like occasionally winning a small amount with one of your lottery tickets. Then when a really uncommon species, such as a Red-headed Woodpecker sets up shop in your yard, it’s like hitting a sizable jackpot. Not quite enough to retire on, but certainly enough to make you more comfortable and life more enjoyable.

To hit the mega-millions jackpot in bird terms, you would have to have a mega-rarity species begin to use your yard for its home. Perhaps a species like last month’s rare bird, the Large-billed Tern, arrive and actually begin nesting in your yard. Something like a one in 500 million or more chance. In other words, it isn’t going to happen, so a Red-headed Woodpecker nesting in the yard is as close to winning the lottery as it’s ever going to get. We will enjoy it while it lasts.

For more on Red-headed Woodpeckers, see a previous Hart Beat column on the difference between Red-headed and Red-bellied Woodpeckers.