¡Hello there! / Northern Flicker Meditation

 

Yesterday I heard a bird's voice coming from my porch.  I wouldn't have identified it as the voice of a Northern Flicker but when I looked outside I saw the tail end of one at the corner of the floor of my porch.  The vocalizing continued as I went to get my camera.  After I had taken the first photo, the Northern Flicker turned around.  When it saw me, it flew away.  

I've not put my suet feeder out during the summer for some years but decided to keep it stocked with suet through the summer this year.  I'm not sure how many Northern Flickers are visiting my suet feeder -- if I am just seeing one or two or a family or various families.  

Despite some initial resistance, I was able to slow myself down enough to relax and spend 20 minutes with the Northern Flickers in the following YouTube video.  I was rewarded with hearing the vocalization (at 9:09) that had caught my attention.  If you don't have 20 minutes, I'll just suggest looking at and listening to the Northern Flicker nestlings at 1 minute and at 19 minutes.

Now I'm wondering if the Northern Flicker in my photos was an immature one.  I've noticed immature Red-winged Blackbirds crouching in a similar posture with their beaks open, vocalizing that they wish to be fed.

Recommending Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter's Story, by Mazie K. Hirono in collaboration with Rosemarie Robotham / "... you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one .." / Northern Flicker

"... I have often wondered how it was that a quiet, watchful Asian-American immigrant girl who had grown up desperately poor could one day aspire to become the chief executive of her state.  The closest I've come to an explanation is this:  My mother had lived as if nothing was truly impossible, and her determination -- the heart of fire she carried within her, despite her calm demeanor -- had set a powerful example for us.  She had worked tirelessly to make it possible for me to become a woman with outsize dreams ..."

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"... you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one ..."

Brian Zhang:

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