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Hairy Woodpecker?

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Field Notes

Description:

Photographed in May 2011, just posting now.
I think this is a Hairy Woodpecker (seen on side of tree trunk with the open hole, housing a nest in first photo).

Habitat:

Nesting in a dead tree trunk in the woods.

Notes:

Photographed in Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope, PA

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (3)
1Sarah2
I see what you mean. I was looking at the drawings on the whatbird site. I should know better by now. The pictures do look remarkably similar. Size would be a distinctive characteristic with the hairy woodpecker being the larger.
Mostly Microbe
Thanks for the link, 1Sarah2. I based my guess on its being a Hairy on it's relatively large size as described on Cornell's site: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/woodpeckerIDtable.htm And it looks to me in this link that both the Hairy and Downy have the line down the neck you're referring to.
1Sarah2
I think that this is a Downy Woodpecker. http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/177/overview/Downy_Woodpecker.aspx Check out the head illustration, especially the line coming from the bill and down the neck.

Tags

Photographed
PublishedSeptember 13, 2011

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