Dear Tweets

Thanks for your response to my dirty egg question! (Stellar Jay)

Acorn Woodpeckers came back two days ago and this time there were two! No.
I don't believe the pair to be Hairy or Red Breasted Sapsuckers. The Acorn
Woodpecker's markings *have perplexed me b/c they are unusually marked to
the rear of their heads. I have decided upon Acorn due to its primary back
color of black and top red head spot that does not cover its entire head.
They have black backs with red on the very top of their heads. The
perplexing marking was a small white vertical line dash on the rear of their
head combined with the white ring around its beak that does not extend to
the rear of his black neck. No other white markings on the back forced me to
exclude Downy, Red Breasted Sapsucker and a Hairy.

If my Petersons Guide would identify juveniles....and inter breeds that
would be great! Acorn was the best visual match. I have seen Red Breasted
Sapsuckers here. I have also seen a juvenile Downy Woodpecker here. Hairy
Woodpeckers? No. b/c, they did not have white stripe on the back. IDK
strangest pair of Acorn woodpeckers I've tried to id b/c of white dash in
the lower part of back of their heads! B/c of that marking I am wondering
if they were juvs or if this pair have been cross bred with another type of
woodpecker to produce the different white dash mark. Variations in plumage
- I'd love a guide with juv photos.

Sincerely,

Michelle
Yelm
Thurston county
yelmbackyard at gmail.com




>
> ------------------------------
> Date: Fri, 27 May 2011 17:33:23 -0700
> From: yelmbackyard at gmail.com
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: [Tweeters] Yelm, Thurston County Yardbirds a blue egg - sort of
>
>
> Dear Tweets;
>
> Spotted in between the rain and then sun and then rain in my backyard.
>
> Acorn woodpecker stopping briefly among the evergreens
> Bullocks Oreole stopping in at the rose bramble
> Oregon Junco ground feeding
> and a Rufous hummingbird at the feeder.
>
> I found a partial blue eggshell. It may have been at least 1" in length
> when in tact with black spots.
> The spots looked like much dirt or the spots that a fly leaves when it
> poops - (sorry for a lack of sophisticated fly poop terminology here.)
>
>
> Michelle
> Yelm
> Thurston county
> yelmbackyard at gmail.com
>
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