"The Bog" (pics)

[jonny_redhorse]

ran down to the "bog" again this snowy, gray day once again,knowing the pics lacked "punch"..oh well,many birders from all over were on the roads and made for good conversation,one guy from the state of Washington,a couple from Eden Prairie,a women birder from Hoyt Lakes...we just shared info on where the birds had been seen...I came across 2 more northern hawkowls on hwy #7 near the Zim sod farm area...one eagle at the intersection of hwy 133 and hwy #7...also was fortunate enough to find 2 three-toed woodpeckers(Spruce road near Meadowlands) about a thousand yards from hwy 133 pecking away for their lives! and didn't seem to care if I was taking there picture! .....also saw 2 black backed woodpeckers but no pics(were quite close to the three-toed)....a good morning all and all!

notice the "white markings" on the 3 toed's back?....black backed doesn't have the white markings though quite similar:

digiscoped at approx.175 yards:

[Steve Foss]

Jonny, that's WAY cool. Last year seemed to be a banner year for black-backed and three-toeds, which were popping up all over the place.

Looks like you had a good day. Those are very neat woodpeckers, and being that close to either one is a treat. I like the second pic especially, because it shows the bird in its typical habitat. Both species are confer bark peelers, not hole-drillers like most of the other woodpeckers, and in both pics you can easily see the peeled off bark.

[jonny_redhorse]

Thanks Steve!...geesh I think I found the holy grail of 3 toed hangouts!...the trees were stripped litterally of bark(down to the reddish layer) on about 2 dozen trees(big trees) on the blue spruce Road,if a guy wants to see these 2 species of woodpeckers,they are certainly there! and by the looks of those stripped spruce, they've been there for quite awhile!....I know I'll be there again...lol!

[MN Shutterbug]

Hmmm, I think I went the wrong weekend. Thanks for sharing the nice pics, Jonny. I'd never heard of or seen woodpeckers that behaved in such a manner. I swear, I do get smarter every day.

[finnbay]

Hey jonny! Good job! Add another success to the list!

[jonny_redhorse]

and again, thanks guys....Ken, I agree that I can add another species to the "list", both from the bog(this 3 toed and the black-billed magpie)even though I saw the black-backed,I didn't get a photo of it!,when I get a pic,I'll add em to the list ........There was this one Birder(Nancy Jackson) from Hoyt Lakes that actually verified the species as we both saw the 3-toeds at the same place on the spruce road,she is one avid birder I must say! she knew that species in about 2 seconds!,which I certainly could never have done lol!...she explained the difference between the black-backed and the 3 toed and the similarity between the 2 birds by the mottled white on the 3 toeds back while visually looking at the bird through her swarovsky's ,another lone birder then drove up (from the cities) and he verified the 3 toed also....bird just pecked away and let me take his pic, the others just watched as I took the photos,apparently, they only spot the birds and not into the photography end of birding.