Sounds like a Red-breasted Sapsucker. The northern race is deeper red
than the California race which might be the one Peterson illustrates.

Gene Hunn.

On Wed, 18 Oct 1995, Jim Lady wrote:

>
> I just encountered a woodpecker on the UW campus which doesn't seem to
> fit any description in Peterson.
>
> Entire head was deep, dark red.
> Black back except for narrow, long white wing patches, and horizontal
> white stripes down middle of back - sort of fits description of
> Red-breasted sapsucker except head was much deeper red than what
> Peterson's illustration shows.
>
> I wasn't able to see its breast.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Jim Lady
> Center for Quantitative Science
> University of Washington
> jiml at cqs.washington.edu
>
>
>