Here is a bird I never would have considered a Boreal bird … the Red-Bellied Woodpecker. I photographed it in my yard yesterday morning, and although it is in an aspen, my neighborhood is dominated by white pine trees. It stays the winter, along with a pair of Northern Cardinals … another bird which never used to live up north. While hiking in the Lester / Amity woods, I often see the Red-Bellied foraging on both pines and cedar trees. It has obviously adapted to the pine forest.

Photographed during a snow squall … another major winter storm starts late tonight!

Red-Bellied Woodpecker (male … a female would have a gap at the top of its head in the red coloring)

Enjoying the snow (video link for email subscribers)