January 29, 2025

A Northern Flicker (yellow shafted phase)(Colaptes auratus) proudly showing off his yellow. Sometimes I’m fortunate and get to see it, other times it is hard to tell why they are called yellow shafted. This a male. You can tell by the presence of that black mustache.

He’s sitting at a cluster of red, hairy fruits called drupes on a Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra). A fruit quite popular with Northern Flickers though they’re known for pounding on the ground to get ants, beetles and their larvae.

Fortunately for me, these Flickers are here year round.

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