Birbs of Saskatchetoon - Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

At the same wetland I spotted the Sandhill Cranes, I briefly spotted what I thought was a Hairy Woodpecker at first - black and white, red cap - but then I realized the pattern was different and it had red on the front of its face below the beak. I raced around the brush, trying to get a better look - and a picture! But it was too quick - as soon as I thought I had an angle and zoomed in on the spot - it was gone! 

I’d almost completely forgotten about it until I got home and was downloading pictures for the day and found all the pictures of empty branches of dead trees surrounding the marsh and remembered the bird. I asked Amanda if she knew of a woodpecker with red on it’s face below the beak - like a chin or a bib - and off the top of her head she said “Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker”…? I looked it up and, sure enough, that was the bird I’d been looking at. 

I am so damned grateful to have her in my life… for so many reasons… not the least of which is how much she knows about birds (far more than she gives herself credit for!) 

 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in the Birbs of Saskatchetoon 2022 Sketchbook (Volume Two!) 

This is where I first spotted it... but by the time I had my camera out and focused... it flew off.. 

...over to here.. I SWEAR it was RIGHT THERE when I took the pic... 

But then I saw it darting waaaaay off past my bike in the OTHER direction... So I chased after it.. and, by "chase", I mean "WALK"! I didn't want to scare it off again!!

I swear it's RIGHT THERE... in the tree BEHIND the one that the camera really decided it needed to focus on... 

Bah! 

Saw the birb. Figured out what it was. Added to the book, moving on!