One of the neat things about being in Florida is the wide variety of birds and animals that are out our backdoor. I mean that in a literal sense. The other day I looked out our back window and saw this bird I have never saw before. I quickly got my camera and got a few rudimentary shots before the bird flew away. With a little research I discovered this is a Northern Flicker

This photo appears to be a male Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker. The northern flicker is a woodpecker.  Often seen feeding on the ground in lawns, where they eat lots of ants and worms. The flicker is the only woodpecker in North American that commonly finds food on the ground. Apparently this guy was having a feast in my neighbor’s backyard the day he came to visit.

Unlike other woodpeckers, flickers typically migrate south when inclement weather arrives. In the spring the northern flicker establishes its own nesting territory. The do this by drumming on trees and any other object which makes noise as a way of warning others to stay away.