Our Third Woodpecker – Red-breasted Sapsucker

Oregon has a surprisingly high woodpecker diversity, but we haven't been to the hottest spot yet – the central Oregon Cascades. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that we've only had three species so far: Northern Flicker, Acorn Woodpecker, and now Red-breasted Sapsucker. This isn't a rare species, but they are very quiet now and are quite hard to find. We caught up with this one, after my having practically already given up on the species, at one of my favorite places for it, Bellfountain Park in southern Benton County. Note that due to feather wear at the end of the breeding season, this normally intensely red nominate Sphyrapicus ruber ruber is approaching the appearance of a hybrid or a daggetti subspecies.