Black-backed Woodpecker

We banded White Wolf a few days ago, which I think might be my favorite site. We had a slow day, but got some great birds, including a female Williamson’s Sapsucker. It’s so different from the male; at one time they thought they were different species. We also got a Black-backed Woodpecker! They are really rare in the park, and we really didn’t expect to get one at White Wolf. Their usual habitat is recently burned forests because they prefer to nest in burned snags. As far as anyone known, this is the first time we’ve banded one in the park.

Black-backed Woodpecker

Me with a female Williamson's Sapsucker