Friday, April 5, 2013

Sunny Flicker


  ~~~~~
a northern flicker
grabs a piece of sunlight
on take-off
~~~~~

The flicker has not visited my feeders all winter for some reason but he came yesterday, to announce the return of the sun to my heart!  For anyone who has never seen one of these birds, they are magnificent, with markings on the back,  chest and neck , a perky red hat and, best of all, upon take-off,  they reveal a golden color on their wings which is not visible unless they are in flight!



I did not get a photo of the flicker yesterday but they have visited my feeders and my yard in years past, and these photos were taken then.


Flickers are attracted to the suet feeders in the winter especially and that is often when I can grab a photo.






The underside of the bird's tail and wings is a wonderful golden color, seen peeking out in the above photo. It is only when they are airborne that one gets to see how stunning the color is.


I am not very skilled at photographing birds in flight, nor do I have the proper equipment for that kind of photography.  In the above photo, I was able to catch the flicker as he departed the feeder with his fill of suet. (He's in the upper left corner of the photo.)  

Here is a link to a wonderful photo displayed on Flickr (appropriately enough) showing the bird in flight.


  Shared with Recuerda Mi Corazon 'Haiku My Heart'

14 comments:

  1. Wow! Beautiful photos of the Flicker and love line...grabs a piece of light....
    Enjoy ^_^

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  2. A perfect haiku to describe the flicker's under colour. Terrific photos!

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  3. Beautiful bird -- perfect haiku tribute.

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  4. beautiful images and a perfect haiku to express what you witnessed and felt.

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  5. I thank you for these pictures of the flicker...so pretty!
    I have just become interested in birds this year,
    this will be our first spring in this home and I am
    trilled to see and hear all of the birds.
    Your haiku is haiku fits this guy to a T!
    ♥♥

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  6. Such fabulous photos! I have never seen a flicker before - I love its markings! Thank you for introducing me to this beautiful creature.

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  7. Barbara, I LOVE Flickers!! A perfect haiku to celebrate their beauty :-)

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  8. Beautiful photos, thanks for introducing me to a Flickr! Such beautiful colours and I love the one in flight so we could see the yellow feathers. Thanks for sharing. Chel x

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  9. And does what with that piece of sunlight, I wonder...

    (This is such a beautiful haiku!)

    Meadow Flowers

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  10. dear barbara,
    i too marvel at the colour, song and company of birds. is there anything in nature so continually uplifting? your flicker and haiku tribute are heart warming. thank you for sharing such beauty.

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  11. Amazing words and gorgeous pictures!! Very interesting and I did learn a lot!! We do not have them here in these parts I think!!

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  12. Barbara, those are great pictures! I am sure glad more birds are returning to the area.

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  13. What a lovely bird it is Barbara, a wonderful visitor to have in your garden! I have seen it on one or two other blogs from your part of the world and never cease to be impressed with its very distinctive plumage. Great captures!

    I have enjoyed catching up with your 'Marching Through the Woods' post....something I was going to do myself last weekend...only to find that just five miles up the road from home the woodland was a foot deep in snow!!

    I also loved all the colourful photos on your recent flower show post.

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  14. Thanks so much for introducing me to the Northern Flickr what a handsome chap. Thankyou so much for your kind words and continuing support on my own blog, so much appreciated.

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