Flicker and Finch Fledglings

There are still many young birds in the yard.  A young Northern Flicker has been regular for the last couple weeks.  No sign of the adults; fledgling flickers leave the family group when they become independent.  Until their first molt, fledgling flickers sport the black "mustache" of the adult male so I can't tell if this is a male or female young.  Its a noisy thing, though, announcing its presence with a whiny, drawn out call described as "keeough keeough" (Stokes Guide to Bird Behavior).

A member of the woodpecker family, flickers feed primarily in a different manner: on the ground.  They are foraging for and feasting on their favorite food, ants.

The flicker is a good-sized bird, coming in at 12-13" long (compared to Downy Woodpeckers at 6-7"and Hairy Woodpeckers at 8-9").

This disheveled bird is a young male Purple Finch.  (Like all pictures on the blog, click on the image to enlarge it).  Notice the incomplete cranberry-colored feathers and the bright yellow gape (corners of the mouth).

The Purple Finch population here has been very strong this summer after being down a few years.  I think this youngster is from a second brood.  At my feeders, they eat primarily safflower seed that we have in a window feeder and in a tube feeder and Absolute feeder on our APS® (Advanced Pole System) woodland set-up.  The safflower is not preferred by squirrels so Purple Finches (as well as chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice) can feed without disturbance.