Bob and I were surprised when we visited Oxtongue Lake, Ontario, in late April to see a northern flicker, or Yellow-shafted Flickers as they are also known. On the first day alone, we saw no less than eight of these birds, six at one time in a leafless deciduous tree.
Every time I peeked out my bedroom window, I would see not one northern flicker, but two or three foraging together in the sandy soil of the backyard for ants.
I was trying to become more skilled at photographing this northern flicker in flight and had fairly good luck after a few tries. This female took wing from the pole supporting the clothesline.
Through my series of photos, you can definitely get a reasonable look at the yellow shafts on the primary feathers and the white rump visible when the bird is in flight.
With the stop-motion that comes with photos, I could get some idea as to the streamlined effect created when the wings are neatly drawn in.
Quite the opposite can be said for this gorgeous display of the flight feathers with their yellow shafts made almost translucent by the sunlight shining through them.
It gladdened me to know that I had actually photographed both a male and female northern flicker, the male here with his distinguished black moustache.
Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean