It all started yesterday morning.  I was going about my morning business outside of filling my bird feeders when suddently I heard it...the familiar sound of a Pileated Woodpecker, and it was loud, obviously very close.  I stopped in my tracks and scanned my eyes meticulously across the woods, expecting to see his red head popping up and down.  But, nothing, nowhere could I find him.  Then, again, the sound came from seemingly right in front of me, flowing full throtle volume through my yard.  This time I searched with even more vigor convinced the bird was right in front of me...saying to myself "he's right on top of me and I can't find him."

Then suddenly, silence.  In my continued visual search, my eyes came to rest upon what I thought was a Mourning Dove.  He was very close on a dead tree trunk at the edge of the woods.  Upon closer observation I realized this could be no dove, he was hammering on the wood, and he had a red strip around the nape of his neck!  I raced back inside to grab my binoculars.  Getting a better view I knew I had seen a bird that I had never seen before in my backyard...a Northern Flicker.  I instantly remembered the post that was at Jenn's nature blog.  I observed it for a moment or two, and then went about my business of filling the feeders.  I went back inside still wondering why I had never been able to spot the Pileated Woodpecker.

After telling the kids about my new observation, we looked him up on the computer, and listened to his sound.  Well, guess what he sounds a lot like?  Yep, a Pileated!  Check it out...Northern Flicker Sound.  So it was him, not the Pileated.

So fast forward to today.  After regular studies were finished, we went outside just for a moment and guess what we heard again?  This time I did a quick glance of the woods for the Pileated, but I knew better this time when I didn't see him to look for the Northern Flicker.  We found him after a short look and listen, sitting on another dead tree trunk.  Well, we ended up sitting out there for 30 minutes watching and observing him through the binoculars!  What a treat!  He hung around, pecking away at the trunk, as if just for us to muse at!  After consulting our field guide, we also knew that he was a "he" from his black mustache that the female lacks.

SO, you know after having such a wonderful observation session, I couldn't resist the opportunity to teach further.  After all, we hadn't done our Nature/Science lesson for the day yet.  I grabbed the Handbook of Nature Study and was so excited to see that Ms. Comstock had a whole lesson on the Northern Flicker.  I'm always excited to find it there because her writing style always engages us.  So we read through the introduction and observation questions.  We found this part we liked best because it made us all roll in laughter:

"Those who have observed the flicker during courting season declare him to be the most silly and vain of all the wooers.  Mr. Baskett says:  "When he wishes to charm his sweethearts, he mounts a small twig near her, and lifts his wings, spreads his tail, and begins to nod right and left as he exhibits his mustache to his charmer.  He sets his jet locket first on one side of the twig and then on the other.  He may even go as far as to turn his head half around to show her the pretty spot on his back hair.  In doing all this he performs the most ludicrous antics and has the silliest expression of face and voice as if in losing his heart, as some one phrases it, he had lost his head also."

Can you just imagine this silly bird making a fool of himself for a gal?!!  Sounds like some boys I used to know!

We added him to our ongoing Taking Note of Birds observation lists, and Hannah also drew a picture for her nature journal.  

What was especially wonderful about spending time learning about this bird, is that before seeing him today we were having a terrible day!  Bad attitudes and the whole gamut of yucks!  This unfortuntely included Yours Truly.  REALLY bad day.  I'm telling ya, the weather is starting to really grind down on me and the kids.  I try my hardest to not be discontented, but these rainy, gloomy days, and end of the winter blues sends me for a loop I tell ya!  I had been praying for some relief, and the Lord sent it in the form of nature, imagine that!!  Even on a gloomy, wet day...His majesty reigns!