Sodusbird Posted March 22, 2022 Share Posted March 22, 2022 At first, I thought it was a very early juvenile. Couldn't find any woodpecker or gnatcatcher that looked close to this. Please excuse the photos, I only had and I touch and I have tremors. I did not retouch the photos other then to crop them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sodusbird Posted March 22, 2022 Author Share Posted March 22, 2022 The underbelly is all gray it is not a shadow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sodusbird Posted March 22, 2022 Author Share Posted March 22, 2022 The underbelly is all gray it is not a shadow. It's got to be a Downy hybrid. The all-charcoal gray underbelly and its' small size was different from the other two black and white Downys at the feeders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipperatl Posted March 22, 2022 Share Posted March 22, 2022 Melanistic or could be soot on it. May have been digging in a burned tree/log. https://www.sibleyguides.com/2017/01/melanistic-downy-woodpecker/ https://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/beginners/birding-faq/downy-woodpecker-might-look-gray/ 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 (edited) I have seen Downys with grayish bellies before, though I do think there is shadow making the gray seem darker than it is. You can by the way the head striped change shade from picture to picture. Definitely a downy though! Edited March 23, 2022 by Avery 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 1 hour ago, Sodusbird said: The underbelly is all gray it is not a shadow. It's got to be a Downy hybrid. The all-charcoal gray underbelly and its' small size was different from the other two black and white Downys at the feeders. Respectfully, the belly sure looks like it's in the shadow of the suet above it. This looks like a standard, non-hybrid Downy to me. As to it being smaller than other woodpeckers, is it possible the other two were Hairy Woodpeckers, not Downys? Hairys are almost identical in appearance but are about one-third larger. Thanks. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sodusbird Posted March 23, 2022 Author Share Posted March 23, 2022 The Downy came back today. I had my Nikon with me. No sun today. and I took a picture of a regular Downy at the same time. No enhancement just cropping on some. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 Quite a weird bird! Definitely a downy, maybe melanistic? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 Welp, not a shadow I guess! Have there been any controlled burns or wildfires nearby? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 Nice shots of a good crop of woodies. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th photos look like normal Downys to me. That 6th bird has been in the Ninja make-up. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiscalus quiscula Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 21 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said: Nice shots of a good crop of woodies. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th photos look like normal Downys to me. That 6th bird has been in the Ninja make-up. I'd argue that the third looks like the slate-bellied one as well, you just can't see it as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sodusbird Posted March 23, 2022 Author Share Posted March 23, 2022 Regular Downy in third and fourth. Melanistic slate Down is in photos 1, 2, 4, 5, 6. No burns in the Sodus, MI area. If you'll look at photos 4 and 5 you can see that even the stripe under his eye is gray not white. I will continue to observe the Downy as long as it stays around. Does anyone know if it's a female or male? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 4 minutes ago, Sodusbird said: Regular Downy in third and fourth. Melanistic slate Down is in photos 1, 2, 4, 5, 6. No burns in the Sodus, MI area. If you'll look at photos 4 and 5 you can see that even the stripe under his eye is gray not white. I will continue to observe the Downy as long as it stays around. Does anyone know if it's a female or male? Female 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipperatl Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 (edited) That is a seriously cool looking bird. He looks like he is living in a chimney. Edited March 23, 2022 by chipperatl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipperatl Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 Anyone - Does the Pacific Downy Woodpecker get this dark? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiscalus quiscula Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 1 hour ago, chipperatl said: Anyone - Does the Pacific Downy Woodpecker get this dark? I thought they are usually more buffy than charcoal. The darkest I can find in Macaulay are these: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/413000661?_gl=1*34lnhz*_ga*NDIxNzY1MTI4LjE2NDc2MzEwNTE.*_ga_QR4NVXZ8BM*MTY0ODA4MjgzNy42LjEuMTY0ODA4Mjg1MS40Ng..#_ga=2.212505364.1897976226.1648053894-421765128.1647631051 https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/399606151?_gl=1*or8zka*_ga*NDIxNzY1MTI4LjE2NDc2MzEwNTE.*_ga_QR4NVXZ8BM*MTY0ODA4MjgzNy42LjEuMTY0ODA4Mjg1MS40Ng..#_ga=2.246011012.1897976226.1648053894-421765128.1647631051 The map of eBird reports for Pacific Downies shows a few vagrant records, from Tennessee and Colorado. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now