Photo of the Week: Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-headed black and white bird perches on side of tree in the bright sunshine, blue sky in the background.

I always thought the crimson red head would stand out for me when I sighted a Red-headed Woodpecker.

But I was wrong.

It’s the bright white wing patches contrasting with the black back and the white underbelly that stand out for me, then I notice the brilliant red head.

Not common to see in our area, I was lucky to find the Red-headed Woodpecker this month at a nearby metropark.

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Photo of the Week: One World…Under Michigan Stars

Round copper-colored sculpture with insets of blue glass and multiple cutouts sits on a concrete slab, surrounded by grass, silhouetted by bare trees.

You can’t miss the large steel sculpture as you complete the curve on Lakeshore Drive from the U.S. Coast Guard Station on the Detroit River at Belle Isle State Park in Detroit, Michigan.

The copper-colored sculpture with blue glass stands out on a raised slope on the east side of the park, where the lighthouse trail starts.

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Photo of the Week: Northern Shrike, My Nemesis Bird

White-breasted gray bird with black mask perches on bare tree branch.

For the past four years, I’ve been searching for my nemesis birds, the Northern Shrike. And two days before the end of 2021, I finally found it!

Not once, but twice in the same day at two different birding hotspots.

Known as the “Butcher Bird” for its habit of storing food for later by impaling its prey on thorns or sharp fences, the Northern Shrike is a larger gray and white songbird with a characteristic black mask.

A little smaller than the American Robin, the Northern Shrike feeds on small birds, rodents, and large insects.

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