{"id":39172,"date":"2016-05-05T05:30:05","date_gmt":"2016-05-05T11:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=39172"},"modified":"2025-05-22T12:42:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T17:42:08","slug":"northern-flicker-nesting-cavity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/05\/05\/northern-flicker-nesting-cavity\/","title":{"rendered":"Northern Flicker Nesting Cavity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NorthernNorthern Flicker male at nest – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/320, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I’ve been missing southwestern Montana and Clark County, Idaho a lot lately but the weather hasn’t been cooperating for a trip up north. I think that I have been missing the birds I usually see there including sapsuckers, nuthatches and woodpeckers busy making new nesting cavities or taking over an old one for their broods this season.<\/p>\n

One year and one day ago I photographed my favorite nesting tree in the Targhee National Forest<\/span><\/a> and this Northern Flicker nesting cavity.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Northern Flicker on an aspen – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 500, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn’t an easy nesting tree to photograph because of the lighting situation, if you were there too early the trees to the east put the nesting tree in the shade and by the time the light did light up the aspen there was only a little while before the sun was high and the light became contrasty and the shadows were too dark.<\/p>\n

But even with those conditions it was incredible to observe and photograph the flicker creating the nesting cavity, pushing wood chips out of the opening with its bill, flying too and from and watching it look around at its world.<\/p>\n

\"Male<\/p>\n

Male Northern Flicker perched on a conifer – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1\/320, ISO 800, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This Northern Flicker usually called right before it flew in which gave me time to get ready for its appearance.<\/p>\n

I didn’t know that when I photographed this Northern Flicker one day and one year ago that it would be the last time I’d see the tree standing or the last time I’d photograph this flicker, the sapsuckers, nuthatches, bluebirds and wrens that made this tree their nurseries. I’m glad I had the opportunity to spend one and a half nesting seasons photographing the birds there.<\/p>\n

Life is good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Northern Flicker photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

The nesting tree was chopped down by someone after I took these images<\/span><\/a>. I will always be sad about that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I photographed my favorite nesting tree in the Targhee National Forest and this Northern Flicker nesting cavity. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":146030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,2578,2244,2255,2261],"tags":[4004,1919,2257,3705,4931,5370,4062,4069,4075,3976,2580,2579,3704,4427,4777,2146],"class_list":["post-39172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-clark-county","category-idaho","category-northern-flicker","category-targhee-national-forest","tag-adult","tag-aspen","tag-colaptes-auratus","tag-flicker","tag-flickers","tag-forest","tag-male","tag-mountains","tag-nest","tag-nesting","tag-nesting-cavity","tag-nesting-tree","tag-northern-flicker","tag-tree","tag-woodpecker","tag-woodpeckers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-male-nest-mia-mcpherson-8290.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-abO","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":102141,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/05\/04\/male-northern-flicker-images\/","url_meta":{"origin":39172,"position":0},"title":"Male Northern Flicker Images","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning I am sharing a few male Northern Flicker images that I took seven years ago at the edge of a mountain forest in the Targhee National Forest in Idaho.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Northern Flicker peeking out of his nesting cavity, Targhee National Forest, Clark County, Idaho","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/northern-flicker-male-nesting-cavity-mia-mcpherson-8575.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/northern-flicker-male-nesting-cavity-mia-mcpherson-8575.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/northern-flicker-male-nesting-cavity-mia-mcpherson-8575.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/northern-flicker-male-nesting-cavity-mia-mcpherson-8575.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":69273,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/05\/01\/nesting-northern-flickers-provide-nests-for-other-birds\/","url_meta":{"origin":39172,"position":1},"title":"Nesting Northern Flickers Provide Nests For Other Birds","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"By excavating their own nests Northern Flickers provide nests for other woodland birds that can't excavate nesting cavities on their own and those nests can be used over and over again. Nature is brilliant.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Northern Flicker perched outside of his nest, Targhee National Forest, Clark County, Idaho","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-male-nesting-forest-mia-mcpherson-8171.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-male-nesting-forest-mia-mcpherson-8171.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-male-nesting-forest-mia-mcpherson-8171.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-male-nesting-forest-mia-mcpherson-8171.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23241,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/05\/05\/a-flicker-letting-the-chips-fall-where-they-may\/","url_meta":{"origin":39172,"position":2},"title":"Northern Flicker Letting The Chips Fall Where They May","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I could hear the Northern Flicker excavating inside the nesting cavity and when he would stop he would appear with a bill full of shavings and forcefully eject them from the cavity.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Close up of a male Northern Flicker and aspen nesting tree in the Targhee National Forest of Clark County, Idaho","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-male-tree-mia-mcpherson-8145.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-male-tree-mia-mcpherson-8145.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-male-tree-mia-mcpherson-8145.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-male-tree-mia-mcpherson-8145.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51359,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/03\/23\/photographing-a-male-northern-flicker-excavating-a-nesting-cavity\/","url_meta":{"origin":39172,"position":3},"title":"Photographing a Male Northern Flicker Excavating a Nesting Cavity","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I dug into my archives and picked these Northern Flicker photos from May of 2015 to share today because I saw a Northern Flicker yesterday and thought of how they will soon start excavating their nesting cavities to rear their young in.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Northern Flicker male outside his nesting cavity, Targhee National Forest, Clark County, Idaho","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-nesting-cavity-male-mia-mcpherson-8132.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-nesting-cavity-male-mia-mcpherson-8132.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-nesting-cavity-male-mia-mcpherson-8132.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-nesting-cavity-male-mia-mcpherson-8132.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23227,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/05\/04\/black-and-blue-all-over-with-just-a-splash-of-red\/","url_meta":{"origin":39172,"position":4},"title":"Black and Blue All Over With Just a Splash of Red","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, it was another fun morning at the Magical Sapsucker Tree and today the cast was joined by a pair of Mountain Bluebirds who seem dead set on taking over the Northern Flicker cavity.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Mountain Bluebird at a Northern Flicker nesting cavity, Targhee National Forest, Clark County, Idaho","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-female-mia-mcpherson-6127.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-female-mia-mcpherson-6127.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-female-mia-mcpherson-6127.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-female-mia-mcpherson-6127.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8625,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/06\/20\/male-northern-flicker-in-its-nesting-cavity\/","url_meta":{"origin":39172,"position":5},"title":"Male Northern Flicker in its nesting cavity","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 20, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I was photographing some Pine Siskins along a road in Madison County, Montana when this male Red-shafted Northern Flicker stuck his head out of his nesting cavity in an aspen and surprised me.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Northern Flicker in its nest, Wade Lake, Madison County, 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