{"id":59704,"date":"2019-08-24T05:44:44","date_gmt":"2019-08-24T11:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=59704"},"modified":"2025-05-22T11:13:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T16:13:33","slug":"immature-northern-flicker-in-the-wasatch-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/08\/24\/immature-northern-flicker-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"Immature Northern Flicker In The Wasatch Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ImmatureImmature Northern Flicker perched on a dead branch<\/span><\/p>\n

This immature Northern Flicker was one of the last birds I spotted and photographed three days ago while up in the Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a> and I was happy that she stayed long enough for me to take a nice series of images of her. I haven’t had many opportunities to take photos of flickers this year because they have been skittish or too far away. I also didn’t get to spend much time where the flickers would have been excavating nesting cavities and nesting and I have found that is one of the best times of the year to see them regularly in the same location.<\/p>\n

Her plumage is a bit messy but I honestly don’t care. I know that she is a young female because the black patch on her upper chest isn’t fully developed and a young male at this age would show some hint of a red malar stripe and nape crescent.<\/p>\n

Shortly after I took this photo the young Northern Flicker took off and although I did get a sharp lift off photo of her I clipped a bit of her bill and wing tip. I wish I hadn’t done that!<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> 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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This immature Northern Flicker was one of the last birds I spotted and photographed three days ago while up in the Wasatch Mountains and I was happy that she stayed long enough for me to take a nice series of images of her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":146005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,4594,2255,26,773],"tags":[4897,3940,2257,4070,3705,4931,4067,6022,4069,3704,4104,4777,2146,4193],"class_list":["post-59704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-morgan-county","category-northern-flicker","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-branch","tag-canyon","tag-colaptes-auratus","tag-female","tag-flicker","tag-flickers","tag-immature","tag-messy","tag-mountains","tag-northern-flicker","tag-perched","tag-woodpecker","tag-woodpeckers","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-immature-mia-mcpherson-4145.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-fwY","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":74188,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/09\/29\/adult-female-northern-flicker-foraging-in-hawthorns\/","url_meta":{"origin":59704,"position":0},"title":"Adult Female Northern Flicker Foraging In Hawthorns","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This adult female Northern Flicker and a male were both foraging for hawthorn berries when I spotted them from across a creek high in the Wasatch Mountains.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Northern Flicker foraging in hawthorns, Wasatch Mountains, East Canyon, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-female-hawthorn-mia-mcpherson-0385.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-female-hawthorn-mia-mcpherson-0385.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-female-hawthorn-mia-mcpherson-0385.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-female-hawthorn-mia-mcpherson-0385.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":59704,"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, 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McPherson","date":"September 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Early on the second morning when I was in Montana last week I was able to photograph this male Northern Flicker on the side and top of a weathered fence post.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Northern Flicker on a fence post in the Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-male-mia-mcpherson-4413.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-mia-mcpherson-4413.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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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, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-mia-mcpherson-montana-5876.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-mia-mcpherson-montana-5876.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/northern-flicker-mia-mcpherson-montana-5876.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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