Hairy Woodpecker, San Cristobal, NM. Apparently these fellow earth dwellers are destroyers of trees. They have stripped the bark off the limbs on an old growth Juniper tree, making short work of it. Today I noticed they’d enlisted the help of the kids to pitch in as well. Such little buggers. I have to believe there is method in their natural world. Thanks for looking. G
6 thoughts on “Hairy Woodpecker, San Cristobal, NM”
The toes remind us that birds are evolved from dinosaurs. And here, we see zygodactyl toe arrangement, two forward, two back. All the perching birds have 3 forward and one back, so woodpeckers are in a different group by themselves. Yeah, the strip bark from my neighbor’s apple tree as well.
Primordial little beggars. Definitely related to raptors. Interesting that birds of prey are of the raptor group. I worked on a book with a writer here, called “Raptors of New Mexico”. These woodpeckers have almost finished stripping the whole tree of bark this morning. Thanks Larry.
Smart fellow with his bit of red fluff
Good looking nuisances. Thanks Alison. G
Every time I watch chickens chase down a mouse, I thank God, Velociraptors are extinct.
Can you imagine? I dislike chickens, but dead ones taste good especially in green chile chicken stew. Thanks Mark. G