Jwilliams0469 Loc: Topeka, Ks.

Rusty, yours looks like a red-breasted sapsucker... here's a slightly better look, with more light...
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-5205-1.html[/quote]

Squirl LOL...This has become a good discussion. Here is what I found. It is a little difficult to distinguish between these two birds. Look closely. The birds have a similar pattern of black and white stripes. However, the difference is, the bird I captured has the black and white stripes on it's back and wings whereas, the bird in your photo has the black and white stripes on its belly. Yours is definitely a red-breasted sapsucker. I also looked at its range in the U.S. and Canada and it is found exclusively on the West Coast and NorthWest Territories of Canada. I live in South East Michigan and this bird is not found in my area. The Red-Bellied woodpeckers however are indigenous to the entire East Coast, South, and Midwest. Therefore, because of the territorial range, the bird I captured is the Red-Bellied Woodpecker.

Good discussion.[/quote]

Sorry I didn't get here sooner, I've been studying these birds fro a while now due to the types of wood they are adapted to. This bird (photograph 1) is the Red-Bellied Woodpecker.

Some information for anyone with a argument to start on these guys.
Size & Shape
A sleek, round-headed woodpecker, about the same size as a Hairy Woodpecker but without the blocky outlines.

Color Pattern
Often appears pale overall, even the boldly black-and-white striped back, with flashing red cap and nape. Look for white patches near the wingtips as this bird flies.

Behavior
Look for Red-bellied Woodpeckers hitching along branches and trunks of medium to large trees, picking at the bark surface more often than drilling into it. Like most woodpeckers, these birds have a characteristic undulating flight pattern.

Habitat
Red-bellied Woodpeckers are common in many Eastern woodlands and forests, from old stands of oak and hickory to young hardwoods and pines. They will also often venture from forests to appear at backyard feeders.

plus compare the photographs below!

cameranut Loc: North Carolina

I thought the pileated woodpeckers were larger than this one. Maybe this is a juvenile?

SQUIRL033 Loc: Chehalis, WA

Rusty, yours looks like a red-breasted sapsucker... here's a slightly better look, with more light...
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-5205-1.html[/quote]

Squirl LOL...This has become a good discussion. Here is what I found. It is a little difficult to distinguish between these two birds. Look closely. The birds have a similar pattern of black and white stripes. However, the difference is, the bird I captured has the black and white stripes on it's back and wings whereas, the bird in your photo has the black and white stripes on its belly. Yours is definitely a red-breasted sapsucker. I also looked at its range in the U.S. and Canada and it is found exclusively on the West Coast and NorthWest Territories of Canada. I live in South East Michigan and this bird is not found in my area. The Red-Bellied woodpeckers however are indigenous to the entire East Coast, South, and Midwest. Therefore, because of the territorial range, the bird I captured is the Red-Bellied Woodpecker.

Good discussion.[/quote]

you may well be right.. hard to tell for sure from your photo. i wasn't aware the red-bellies were so similar to the sapsuckers!

SQUIRL033 Loc: Chehalis, WA

pileated woodpeckers are a bit smaller than a crow. hard to judge the size on this one, as there's nothing else in the photo to lend a sense of scale.

Rustykeys Loc: Michigan

Well, I am going to be out to the same woods tomorrow and I will see if I can capture a clearer photo of one of these elusive buggers. We will have two camera's to aid and assist us on this trip. LOL

SQUIRL033 Loc: Chehalis, WA

Rusty, i pulled your photo into photoshop and brightened things up a bit, and by golly, you're right! red-bellied woodpecker it is! looks like i should've enhanced the pic first before i stuck my foot in my mouth!

Dennis

Pieliatd woodpecker are the largest, 28 inches tall.

cameranut Loc: North Carolina

Hmmm?? What did I get on that light pole? It's nowhere near as big as 28 inches. I watched it land & only had a couple seconds to get the shot. Unfortunately, I had just bought the camera & had not taken it out of "auto" mode. Now that I'm using manual mode---nothing ever happens.