Hello there.
A pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers, 2/29/20. (No leap this year!)
Though not spring by date, nature says it's here.
The sun had just risen. I stood near the butterfly garden admiring the many native Red Salvia (Savia Coccina) blooms. This self-seeding Florida native is a pollinator attractor: butterflies, hummingbirds, nuthatches, warblers, and bumblebees.
A juvenile Cormorant preened.
Then, I heard a kwirr call. Back and forth.
Two Red-bellied Woodpeckers suddenly burst into view, seemingly twirling in flight before each choosing separate Sabal Palms to lite upon. Here's one of the two.
Pairs form in late winter and nest between March and May so I thought I was witnessing a mating ritual.
I wondered if a snag in this palm would be their nesting site. Possible. Cornell says that they usually nest in dead trees (hardwoods or pines), dead limbs of live trees, and fence posts.
I see Red-bellied Woodpeckers take roost at night in Sabal Palms, the state "tree" of Florida. Not really a tree, palms are of their own group, the stem not forming rings. If you want to read about their magnificence, find David George Haskell's book, The Songs of Trees, Natures Great Connections. (Note to self, write a post about the Sabal Palm.)
I also wondered, which of these red-bellieds is male and which is female. From Birds and Bugs: You can tell the difference between the male and female by the amount of red on their head. The males coloring is more extensive and includes some red feathering around the beak. The female carries her color further on the back of her head.
At the end of the hide and seek game, they ended up close to the top.
Can you tell which is female and male here? (Female is on the left.)
They made kwirr and cha cha cha sounds. Then they flew from a Sabal Palm in front of the building to the Sabal in the back. Several times.
I heard drums on the gutter: "Listen to how well I drum," male bird seemed to say.
This flutter of activity and call went on for about an hour and a half. Perhaps you heard their excitement.
With calls, occasionally feathers raised. They are so happy to have found each other, I'm thinking.
One would fly off, the other would follow.
They kept track of each other.
Maybe I'll discover their nest and bring you photographs of their chicks.
