It's not often that I go birding in search of a specific species of birds. However, when we discovered that a Black-backed Woodpecker had been seen numerous times this summer within a short driving distance of our campsite at Silver Lake, we headed off with binoculars and high hopes. BTW, this was our long awaited final camping trip of the year in the Eastern Sierra Mts.
This is a crater at Inyo Craters, a fascinating place near Mammoth. A path through a forest of Jeffrey Pine trees leads to the craters. This is also where the woodpecker had been spotted. Imagine searching for 1 or 2 black woodpeckers in a forest...It is NOT easy!!!
Initially, we got excited when we spotted this woodpecker but it is a Williamson's Sapsucker. This is also an uncommon bird but it wasn't the bird we were seeking.
With the unexpected change of weather approaching, we were going to cut our trip short. How could we go home without giving it one more try? We returned the next day. As we walked along the trail, we searched in the big, dead trees for signs of woodpeckers. No luck!
We decided to go off trail a bit to some trees that looked inviting. After wandering about a bit, a black woodpecker flew over my head and landed in a nearby tree.
Wow! We couldn't believe our luck! This rarely seen woodpecker that races to post burned forests looking for woodboring beetles landed within our sight! We were shocked! We watched it chisel off bark looking for grub. It was a "Big Year" moment for my birding friends. We stood here motionless for as long as this bird stayed on this tree. This sighting will be with us forever! It's simple moments like this that are reminders of the importance of honoring and protecting wildlife and wilderness across this beautiful planet!
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Photos and content by Robin Roberts
