Gone Birdin'

November 14, 2021

Up until this past November, I’d been on the hunt for a White-headed Woodpecker for over a year. I spent eight hours on top of a mountain in Northern California trying to find one in May 2020. The following year, I drove north again to no avail. A map of Angeles National Forest designated Chilao Visitor Center as a White-headed Woodpecker hotspot, so I ventured out in November 2021 with my fingers crossed. Maybe the third time would be the charm… 

A note on Chilao Visitor Center before I get too far in: this location is exceptional for views of mountain bird species. There are several feeders well-stocked with seed which did wonders for attracting White-breasted Nuthatches, Acorn Woodpeckers, Steller’s Jays, California Scrub-Jays, Oak Titmice, and Mountain Chickadees.

As much as I wanted the trees to be filled with woodpeckers when I arrived, I was in White-breasted Nuthatch wonderland instead. They were flitting from tree to tree, hanging upside down and crawling up and down tree trunks.

Meanwhile, Mountain Chickadees let out their iconic “chicka-dee-dee-dee” calls from the tippy top of any and all foliage in the vicinity. 

The only thing better than one big, blue bird are two big, blue birds.

Next on the mountain bird list: Dark-eyed Juncos. I wish the Dark-eyed Junco in the first photo below had catch-light in his eye, but I still like his pose.  

Oak Titmice pairs mate for life. They inhabit the entire length of California into Southern Oregon and the northern/southern edges of Baja California. 

The Acorn Woodpecker below took a moment to preen his feathers, blessing me with a view of his lush, red crown.  

In the end, my White-headed Woodpecker aspirations were realized on this marvelous day in November. About an hour in, I followed the sound of a call from high-up in a tree. All I could make out was a black body and snowball-looking head. I’d found a female White-headed Woodpecker who was more beautiful than I could have imagined. I basked in the thrill for a few minutes, eventually moving on to other birds. I got an even better view of a male with a red crown patch (photographed below) later in the day and felt plain spoiled.

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