Lewis's Woodpecker

 

Lewis's Woodpecker About to Land, Golden Gate Park

A third time was the charm. I failed to find this unusual (for San Francisco) woodpecker on my two previous attempts, and I'd almost given up on today's before I finally spotted it. I'm not a member of whatever birding group this was announced on, but I suspect it would have made finding it easier. I saw a guy looking for it in a big Monterey pine near the Horseshoe Courts, which is where I first saw it. But I let him know it was currently at the top of a nearby eucalyptus.

It was first spotted last month, but judging by the fact that it's stashing acorns, it might be planning to stick around awhile. Later in the morning I would see it hawking for insects.

Shortly after I spotted it and found a good observation point, it flew away. A Cooper's hawk then flew away in the same direction from the next-door pine, where I hadn't even noticed it. I assume the woodpecker did notice it. Thankfully, the hawk didn't get it, and the woodpecker eventually returned to its tree with an acorn. It soon left again, however, and after awhile I finally spotted it in a distant eucalyptus tree.

I spooked several Northern flickers while I was looking for the Lewis's woodpecker. This one stuck around long enough for me to snap a couple of photos.

This one just barely stayed in the frame.

The woodpecker landed with an acorn on a dead branch of a big Monterey pine.

It hopped along the branch to find a hole that it had previously been hammering at.

After deposting the acorn it took off and didn't return.

A couple of California scrub jays kept me company for a bit while I waited in vain for the woodpecker's return.

This is the same jay that was in the rear of the previous photo. It has at least two acorns...

...as you can better see from this crop.

When I spotted the woodpecker again, it was perched near the top of a eucalyptus. Here it dove toward a Northern flicker that was sharing its tree.

I don't think it meant to frighten the flicker since it flew back to its perch with an insect in its beak.

Coming in for a Landing

Landing with a Bee

Here it has caught another insect, maybe some kind of fly.

* * *