Blair, et al,

I missed the post you referred to, so pardon me if this has all been
discussed.

I wonder if it's:
- wind ruffling or viewer angle, showing underlying darker parts of the
feathers
- molt timing, as per the big old Sibley, page 310 "head pattern can
approach Red-naped, especially when worn (May - Jul)". I think this might
account for the summer peak in Yakima County eBird reports of Red-naped x
Red-breasted hybrids
- a plumage variant
- an indication of hybridization

Kevin Lucas
Selah


On Mon, Jun 9, 2014 at 10:41 AM, Blair Bernson <
blair at washingtonadvisorygroup.com> wrote:

> I did not think much of it at the time but this post recalled the
> impression at the time. Coming off of Capitol Forest last week with
> George Pagos, I am pretty sure that the Red Breasted Sapsucker we saw
> briefly had black spotting in the otherwise red head.
>
> Blair Bernson
> Edmonds
>
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