Lewis's Woodpecker! Wow!

The Lewis's Woodpecker inspired us to drive to Manitoulin Island in the middle of winter! The bird was first noticed on private property on January 9th and has stayed in the area ever since. It breeds in Washington and Oregon, wintering irregularly in the south and west. For some unknown reason, it headed East, much to the delight of Ontario birders!  Ontario Field Ornithologist members helped to monitor visitors by organizing a schedule. We had the 11:00-11:30 time slot on Saturday March 4th!

We were happy to hear as we exited our car that the bird was present! From a distance it can appear dark, but in good light its pink belly, gray collar, dark red face and dark green back are visible. It is slightly smaller than a Flicker.  The colours reminded me of the colours on a hummingbird!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lewiss_Woodpecker/id 

Lewis's Woodpeckers look like a woodpecker; forage like a flycatcher; and fly like a crow. They hitch up trees in typical woodpecker fashion but also perch upright on bare branches, wires and posts. They will fly out to snatch insects in midair in long forays, much like a flycatcher.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lewiss_Woodpecker/id

After everyone had had a good look, our gracious hostess Phyllis, allowed us to wander around her large yard. Although there were several feeders in the yard, the cracked corn in the platform feeder was the food of choice for the Lewis's Woodpecker.

The cavities in the middle tree were often used by the "Star" of the backyard. According to Phyllis, the lowest hole was the nightly roosting location. The many holes higher in the tree were storage areas where it cached its food. She also witnessed it stuffing the corn kernels under the shingles of her house!

We were incredibly lucky with the weather, managing to completely avoid a storm that hit southern Ontario while we were gone! We even got to visit with good, "like-minded" friends who had also made the journey north! 

 Wildlife Near Sudbury:

After our adventures with the Pine Grosbeaks, we went for a walk at Fielding Memorial Park and Bird Sanctuary. The open water attracted a number of waterfowl including a total of 4 Trumpeter Swans. Canada Geese are not common in northern Ontario in the winter, but we found one! (tucked in behind the back swan.)

While watching the birds on the water, Deryl began to repeat, "Incoming, incoming". I looked up to see a Trumpeter Swan fly right past me. This picture is uncropped!

A female Northern Pintail was reported in the park and we were happy to find it nestled in amongst the Mallards. (small duck in middle of picture) When it comes to breeding, Northern Pintails don't waste any time. They start nesting as soon as the ice starts to thaw, arriving by late April in places as far north as the North-west Territories.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pintail/overview

I don't usually associate Mallards with white water! LOL

A Mallard hen appears to be flying with "angel wings"!

A linear trail passed through both deciduous and coniferous forested areas, following along the edge of the water.

Black-capped Chickadees were abundant along the trails.

Opportunistic Red Squirrels took advantage of the many feeders in the area. The day after our visit, we learned that a Great Gray Owl had been recently seen in the area. The abundance of squirrels probably provides ample food for the large owl. Now that we are back home, we wonder how close we were to one of the tallest owls in North America!

I also saw my first Common Redpoll of the year, just outside of the park. Redpolls have not been found in South-western Ontario this winter. Some Common Redpolls have been known to tunnel into the snow to stay warm during the night. Tunnels may be more than a foot long and 4 inches under the insulating snow!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Redpoll/overview