Congratulations! It's definitely a charismatic bird! I don't see them often, but they're around here. Last April a Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) managed to eat from my tube feeder, with a little contortion.

Claire

It's extra special when you see something like that in your own yard, isn't it. I used to hear them in my yard in Georgia but I hardly ever saw one.

I've only seen one in my yard. They're beautiful birds!

That must have been an amazing sight! I only see them digging for ants up on Narnia Ridge..spooky little guys though, so I have no good photos of them

I don't mean to hijack your thread chickadeemelrose, but I don't want to start a competing thread either just to post a few photos now that we're talking flickers. Posting etiquette can be very tricky sometimes.

Around the same time as I saw the flicker on the tube feeder, a flicker (probably the same one), came to one of my suet feeders. They may be retiring birds but they're not timid. A grackle tried to scare the flicker away, but the flicker wasn't fazed by it. Eventually they both ate suet, all the while giving each other wary glances.

Hopefully the flicker will stay around for you. I love the image of the bird submerging itself in the bird bath.

Claire

I love your photos Claire, they're great. Thanks for posting them, it's always great to see people's pictures.
And neat idea to put the suet right up in the tree like that.

And...while I was talking on the phone today, I looked out the kitchen window and there was (I thought) the flicker again. I was so excited that he'd hung around - but when I got a better look, the bird was smaller with no red "V" on the neck, and the coloring different somehow. Turned out it was a juvenile flicker! He/She (they don't get the red mark until they are fully matured I found out) ate some suet from the feeder, hung out in the crabapple tree, then took off.

I read that these birds can be migratory. Does anyone know whether flickers seen around here (eastern Massachusetts, 7 miles from the coast) would be migratory? I'm almost wondering if that's why I'm seeing them now when I don't, usually. Just wondering -

Thanks. That suet feeder is actually on a wisteria pseudostandard, conveniently placed right outside my kitchen window. I just stuck a few pine needle clusters on it to make it more inviting.

I'm in southeastern MA, right by the bay, and flickers are here year-round. I think they stay all year in most of New England, according to the Cornell Bird guide range map.

Maybe your juvenile flicker like most youngsters is just too curious to be cautious (somebody tell that kid that there's hawks and cats around!)

I saw one at my heated bird bath on New Year's Day this year.

The water in the winter seems to draw them out of the woods.

Claire