Yes. It is true. This marvelous bird is in my yard!! I can only hope they find the perfect pine tree to make their home. I have been watching two of them all morning.

I tell you, the breakfast dishes are still in the sink, but I feel like I've had a full day!

How cool is that?

There are woodpeckers here in AZ, every now & then, we can hear one, but have never seen one. What are woodpeckers doing in the middle of the desert?

Speaking of birds, any idea what roadrunners were called before there were roads for them to run on?

any idea what roadrunners were called before there were roads for them to run on?

Dinner?

that's a good question!!! Maybe Archy will come along and answer it!

I think there are Woodpeckers that are specifically designed to suck the sap out of cactii! Desert woodpeckers ... I think the ones you may see are called Ladderback Woodpeckers but there is also one called the Arizona Woodpecker (mostly in Mexico and southern AZ).

I don't know much about birds, but this crow-sized raider has been chasing all the little birds from the suet cage hanging from a tree branch just off our sundeck.

I didn't know what it was till I searched your bird site. Thanks.

Aren't they glorious!?! I think of them as a direct link to the Pterodactyl. They're awesome.

If you put out some peanuts out (whole ones in the shell) they LOVE those and maybe they'll leave the suet for the little guys. We cram the peanuts into suet cages.

one individual of an endangered species in our backyards, much less a pair.

I know they're on the Federal List, but according to Birders in my area they're more "vulnerable" than Endangered.

I have a guy that lives near me who is a kind of cuckoo about birds. When I told him we had a Woodcock in our front yard (we live on about 12 acres and about half is wooded) he nearly wet himself ... and came every day at dusk and dawn to get a picture. I don't think they're endangered, but they're kind of rare in our area.

Who knew? I just saw this brown thing scuffing in the leaves and looked it up and said, oh look at that - a woodcock.

I'm anathema to real birders - I have feeders in my yard, put up bird houses, and nesting materials... I put out peanut butter and chase away the cats.... I try to make a little refuge in my yard. Then I just sit and say "oh a bird" and enjoy them...without putting my mind to all the learning.

I should, though. I should apply myself more.