Red Headed Woodpecker, Immature

Photo Submission

Submitted By

Linda Shannon Morgan

Missouri, United States

Description

One of the things I love about spending time in the woods is I almost always see and learn something new. For instance, I never knew Red Headed Woodpeckers stored acorns, nuts and insects in holes and crevices in trees. I also didn’t know they fiercely defended their territory and food caches. The day I took this shot, I watched this young bird for hours. He (or she) chased off several Red Bellied Woodpeckers and one Pileated, as well as several Blue Jays and other birds…but the most astonishing thing I saw it do was to “dive-bomb” a gray squirrel that had climbed one of its’ cache trees. The woodpecker dived upon and pecked at the squirrel until it finally tumbled right out of the tree to the ground!