Red Belly

I finally found a mystery bird that I have been watching for for quite some time now. There is a main trail that leads in and out of my favorite nature park. And every time I get on this trail on my way out I hear this whirring chortle sound. I knew it was a bird, but not what kind it might be.

I didn't used to be very good with identifying bird calls until this year, but I never heard this one before anyway, so there was no luck with that. I knew I would have to see the bird. Luckily I kept hearing the bird so much that I was able to pinpoint the sound to one dead tree in the middle of the swamp to my right.

On this day the bird finally came out of hiding! The bird turned out to be a red-bellied woodpecker! You can follow that link for better pictures and more information about it. It's a bird site we'll be featuring on Nature Center Magazine very soon.

I have to tell you that I've been watching this tree for weeks in an effort to see this bird. It was just pure luck that I found it up there at the highest point. It was just a shame the day was so cloudy. The pictures would have turned out much better on a clear day.

Even so, I got a couple of decent pictures before the bird flew away to another tree. The woodpecker didn't count on my watchful eye though. I followed it to that other tree. I hoped to get more pictures, but that just didn't happen. I was still watching very closely though, because I knew that first tree was the bird's home.

Sure enough, it flew right back to that first tree, but it had a trick up its birdy little sleeve too. It didn't fly back where I could see it. But I am smarter than that bird brain. I still was able to follow it! The bird flew right into this hole in this last picture.

That's why I never found it before! This red-bellied woodpecker makes its home in a hole in the side of the dead tree I've been watching. Seeing that whole incident was just about one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I'm glad I was there at the right time. Lucky!

I told you a week or two ago that I would soon have more bird pictures than I knew what to do with, and now I already do! I didn't know it would happen so soon, but that is why I decided to try posting more often again. I'll try to keep it up for as long as I can. See ya next time, especially if you leave a comment.

Nature Center Magazine - Your starting place for nature!