VIDEO: Watching Woodpeckers at Addison Oaks
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 25, 2020)
Leonard, MI – One of the fun things about hiking in northern Oakland County is being able to see a variety of birds – including woodpeckers.
In an area like Addison Oaks County Park, woodpeckers are easy to find once someone knows what to look and listen for.
Their pecking sounds like hammering as their beaks dig into trees Woodpeckers peck to search for food, to carve out a nesting site, or to make noise to claim their territory or attract a mate.
One way I found to narrow down their location after hearing the sound is to look for the movement of something falling from a tall height. As the birds peck at the tree it creates holes, and the wood they knock out drops to the ground. For me this helps a lot to narrow down where they are.
Another way to find woodpeckers is when walking into areas where multiple birds are gathering. The birds will hear someone walking through, and they’ll fly up en masse to flee the noise. Birdwatchers can look for glimpses of red because of the woodpecker’s red feathers. The bird will generally return quickly if there is no additonal movement or sound. Follow the flashes of red to see where they land, and there you go – a potentially photogenic moment if you are patient enough to hold still until they begin again.
Enjoy this short video of woodpeckers at Addison Oaks County Park in early November.
For other interesting animal videos visit our Pets and Animals section. For more about places to hike, check out our Explore! section.
Addison Oaks is located at 1480 W Romeo Rd is Leonard.
Editor’s note: Thank you to Facebook Friend Robert Lathrop for sharing pointers and helping us learn about birds over the past few months!