One thing to consider about Seattle is that for a "big" city it still
has a significant density of trees (at least 1 per acre from a number
I heard quoted at a ornithology lecture about bird diversity in the
suburbs, if you exclude the concreted over downtown).

Plus it even has decent chunks of almost connected parkland too
thanks to Olmstead's planning.

Flickers area all year residents on Capitol Hill just off Broadway.
In fact, we had a nesting pair of Northern Flickers somewhere on
Capitol Hill just off Broadway last year. I never did find the nest
but last year the Thomas Street P-patch became a regular location
where adults and a couple of juveniles were digging up the soil in a
pathway (to eat the ants). The apartment building to the west of the
P-patch has 1910 era wood decoration (dentition in the frieze at the
top of the building) that look to the Flickers like the start of a
cavity. Every year (for the past five year) the spend time on the
frieze chopping chunks out of it before they go somewhere else and I
presume find a real cavity.

Another example, a Pileated Woodpecker flying through the same P-
patch a few years back. Big, red and black and very loud. Perching up
on a electrical pole and calling briefly then heading on.

There is currently a Hairy Woodpecker making a semi-regular
appearance on the east side of Volunteer Park using a dead branch
(that is already chopped up so I don't think this is the first time!)
as his sounding board.

Even in very urban Seattle there are plenty of interesting woodpeckers.

On Apr 14, 2009, at 4:45 PM, Gary Smith wrote:

> Around Alki I'd say our experience supports your observations. We see
> Flickers in all seasons, but when they're calling a lot as they are
> now,
> it's hard to not have one in earshot anywhere, and we're some
> distance from
> 'woods' in parks or greenbelts, though if you go to one, such as
> Schmitz
> Park, you can hear several during a short walk. Out near the
> Lighthouse,
> the nest of our nearest Flicker is in a utility pole. The male
> works on it
> and then calls, and then goes back to work on it some more.
> Considering the
> location - utility pole surrounded by an asphalt parking lot, the
> street,
> parked cars, and high density buildings, I asked my wife what she
> thought
> his sales pitch was. She said, "well, for sure he's looking for a
> city
> girl."

--
Kevin Purcell
kevinpurcell at pobox.com