Stepping out into the cold to check the level of our heating oil tank, I heard from the woods what sounded like the pattering of water dripping onto a side-walk. Since liquid water doesn't exist when it's -20 outside, and we have no side-walks, I went to investigate. Turns out the pattering sound was actually a male Three-toed Woodpecker. distinguishable from other woodpeckers by the yellow crown and barred white back, chipping away at the bark of a dead spruce. A new species for our yard and for my life list in general. Similar to the Boreal Owl, Three-toed Woodpeckers reside in the boreal forests of the far north, throughout the Canadian Arctic from Alaska to Newfoundland; dipping further south only along the Rocky Mountains. Feeding mainly on wood boring beetle larvae, these woodpeckers may be the best defense against the spruce bark beetle, a destructive invasive from Europe that has devastated an estimated 3 billion board feet of timber in Alaska alone; including the spruce in this photo. This particular bird had no problem with Reef, Casey, and myself standing at the base of tree watching it feed, so I'm guessing the feeding was good.
Canon EOS 60D, Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM + 1.4x, ISO-1000 f/5.6 @ 1/200 sec.
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