 |
Red-cockaded Woodpecker |
Well, third time's a charm it seems. Today I made my third visit to Hal Scott Preserve (I went twice in the summer of 2013 and then today). This is the one park I know of where Red-cockaded Woodpeckers can be found in Orange County, but until today I haven't been able to find them here. I've seen lots of trees with white rings around them (indicating that at some point in time there has been a nest in the tree), but never any sight or sound of them. Until today, when I took a different route and got lucky I suppose. I found a pair of them together. One of them was pretty perturbed with a Downy Woodpecker. The Downy just seem like it had to be working the same tree with it, but every once in a while the Red-cockaded Woodpecker would chase off the Downy. It was pretty fun to watch. I just stood in one spot, and the woodpeckers were so interested in each other they didn't seem to mind me at all.
 |
Red-cockaded Woodpecker Chasing a Downy Woodpecker |
There were other species I was hoping to get on my Orange County year list, and I found all of them: there were many Northern Bobwhites, Bachman's Sparrows, and Brown-headed Nuthatches. The bobwhites and nuthatches didn't pose for photos, though. One Bachman's Sparrow decided to be cooperative.
 |
Bachman's Sparrow |
And there were more than just birds: a Monarch Butterfly, Gopher Tortoise, and a Six-striped Racerunner. All in all a pretty fun morning.
 |
Gopher Tortoise |
 |
Six-lined Racerunner |
 |
Monarch Butterfly |
Comments
Post a Comment
Feel free to comment to leave feedback.