Autumn scene: jack-o-lantern mushrooms, a northern flicker, and a pileated woodpecker

Self-tutoring about nature observation: the tutor relates a scene.

Today, returning from a run in the early evening, I walked through a school yard. The sun was just setting, but daylight wasn’t yet faded.

Beside the school, there’s a paved walkway, then about 40 feet of forest land, then the fences of backyards. As I walked along, I noticed movement near the ground. Drawing nearer, I recognized a northern flicker woodpecker. Then, a couple of feet away from it, at the base of a tree, was a pileated woodpecker! The two types of birds have similar calls sometimes, and are both large enough to draw attention. Yet, I’ve never seen two such birds so close to one another.

Clusters of jack-o-lantern mushrooms were growing here and there around the place the two woodpeckers were foraging. It was a neat autumn mix.

Source:

Hoar, De Smet, et al. Birds of Canada. Edmonton: Lone Pine Publishing, 2010.

mdc.mo.gov