Few birds have more common names than the northern flicker. This flashy woodpecker goes by cotton-rump, high-hole, yellowhammer and at least 150 other colloquialisms. All these monikers speak to the ...

“For the past week I have watched an unusual bird feeding in my yard,” reads an e-mail from a Center Valley-area resident. “I have a small bird book and as close as I can tell it is a yellow-shafted ...

For unfamiliarity among common birds in our area, the northern flicker must surely take the prize. Flickers are abundant at this time of year, but judging from the questions I get about birds, many ...

One of the four species of woodpeckers that puts in a regular appearance in my backyard does a minimum of wood-pecking. Indeed, it spends more time probing in the grass or cocking its head to find ...

As the sparkling, golden days of October pass, so do migrating birds winging their way south to warmer wintering grounds. Our feeders are back up swaying in the cool breeze. Down from higheraltitude ...

The common flicker is an uncommon woodpecker. I found a bright yellow feather in the woods the other day. At first I thought it w as from a molting goldfinch, but realized it was too big. I decided it ...

My co-worker asked me the other day about a funny-looking bird with a large beak he saw sitting on his lawn a couple of weeks ago. When the bird flew, he noticed a large white patch on the rump as the ...