Great Spotted Woodpecker - Artstre: Flaggspett (Dendrocopus major)

Those of you who read this blog often probably have seen the link Feeding Birds in Norway listed here. The main purpose of that blog is not birds, but Hilde often posts great bird photos from Norway - where the sun always seems to be shining.

I want all of you to take a minute and go to http://knittingplace.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html - scroll down to Ferieinntrykk/Holiday impressions. You'll finally get to a wonderful photo of a Great Spotted Woodpecker - click on the photo to see an enlarged version.

The Great Spotted Woodpecker looks a lot like the North American Hairy Woodpecker (see photo below) - but the Great Spotted has a brilliant red patch on its back side. Please take a look at this woodpecker in Norway. And, thanks to Hilde!
The hairy woodpecker (a female) is the larger of the two woodpeckers at the suet feeder, the small is a male downy. All of the Habitat hairy and downy woodpeckers are currently drab and gray. I believe that they will soon molt and we'll see their white feathers for the fall.