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airmorse
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And they are back nesting in the same spot this year. A pair of Nuthatches were there first this year and the Flickers promptly evicted them.
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airmorse
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A few years ago i had a pair of Flickers hammer drill a hole in a large tree in my back yard. Unfortunately the Starlings evicted the Flickers and claimed that spot for themselves. Then the squirrels came.
Fast forward to yesterday when i saw a hatchling fall out of that same tree. I went to investigate and saw two Flickers cleaning out that same hole. They are still cleaning this morning.
I hope that they can keep the Starlings away this time.
They are a much bigger bird up close than i remember.
They are presently making a soft cooing sound. The male seems to be doing most of the cleaning/nest building.
I'll try and get some photos.
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airmorse
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Flash forward to 2021 and the nesting pair of Flickers are back in the same hole in the same tree.
They are busy cleaning out an old Starling nest.
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JWilder
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Yesterday at around 2:00pm I had a male northern flicker appear. I have not seen one in 10 years or so and am located in southern Minnesota. It was perched in a tree similar to a crab apple, eating its fruit. I have recently moved to a new location that is heavily wooded. I am hopeful he is a resident of the area.
Hopefully get some future pics...
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HowardSprague
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They're such a beautiful bird, and I see them so rarely. In the past year I've only seen two: one in my yard, and the other one was dead, in the middle of the city across the street from the Sears Tower. :(
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airmorse
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The Flickers have managed to fight off the Starlings. I also stopped putting out suet, which the Starlings loved to eat.
So hopefully I'll have some baby Flickers to view.
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airmorse
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hooky
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I was on the phone this morning and couldn't get a picture, but we had a Downy woodpecker on a suet cake under our pergola and out in the yard on the ground under another feeder there was a faceoff between a Northern Flicker and a Red Bellied Woodpecker. That's the first time I've seen the Flicker there with any other woodpeckers in the area.
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airmorse
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I hope the Flickers that have nested in my backyard returned this year. They are awesome birds.
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Ausable
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A Northern Flicker was searching through the mulch in our garden this morning. After It flew off, I heard hammering on a neighborhood tree. I love it when I am surprised by NFs!
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ChrisM
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While I was exploring a wetland I’ve been putting off (I don’t know why, I have issues), I had the pleasure of following this guy through a pretty birch stand. 
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airmorse
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The nesting pair of Flickers had to work real hard all day today fighting off the Starlings. One would remain in the nest while the other would fight off the Starlings. Sometimes 3 or 4 at once. Then the Flickers would switch duties. This went on all day.
Almost seem inevitable that the Starlings will win. It will be sad if they do.
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inspector13
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I asked my brother to help me at my place north of Two Harbors several years ago after an ice storm broke off dozens of Poplar trees. He was about to cut a dead trunk out of a multi trunked sugar maple tree when I stopped him. I pointed out the hole about 20 ft up and told him the dead snag would be good for wildlife. Dozens of Northern Flickers have fledged out of there since then. The snag still seems solid, so I expect it to produce many more generations into the future. Luckily, I have never seen a Starling in the Arrowhead region.
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JWilder
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Grabbing a peanut while the snow falls.
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gravelroad
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inspector13: "
I asked my brother to help me at my place north of Two Harbors several years ago after an ice storm broke off dozens of Poplar trees. He was about to cut a dead trunk out of a multi trunked sugar maple tree when I stopped him. I pointed out the hole about 20 ft up and told him the dead snag would be good for wildlife. Dozens of Northern Flickers have fledged out of there since then. The snag still seems solid, so I expect it to produce many more generations into the future. Luckily, I have never seen a Starling in the Arrowhead region."
"It depends on what your definition of "Arrowhead region' is." Duluth is thick with them, and we saw some yesterday in Two Harbors.
+1 on leaving snags. We have Pileated Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers and Downy Woodpeckers all clamoring this week to use the snags on our lot. Just waiting for the "Lord God" species to show up ...
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