Yo, tweeters.

I think it's a good day to be inside, as I look out on a black sky and
waving trees.

I don't know why flickers are social, but they seem to be, contrary to most
other woodpeckers. I often have 2, 3, or even 4 come into my yard at about
the same time to feed on suet and seeds. They may chase another bird from a
perch, but they are clearly associated, and sometimes they feed very close
to one another. I also often see a small bunch (5 this morning) perching
fairly close together high in a tree, and again they are obviously
associated, as there are plenty of flickerless trees all around them. Also,
sometimes I come across a small group feeding very near one another in a
grassy field, and they all fly up into the same grove of trees when flushed.
The group present now does not consist just of a family from the
neighborhood, because one of them has yellow wings (but a red malar stripe),
and none of the flickers breeding or hatched nearby were yellow-winged.

As flickers aren't social breeders (e.g., like Acorn Woodpeckers), I wonder
what's going on here. I don't have the Birds of North America account here
to see if anything has been written about this.

Dennis
--
Netta Smith and Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115