Saw a pleasant surprise in the backyard this morning. It was a northern flicker, a member of the woodpecker family. These grey-brown birds have a distinctive red mark on the back of their heads. Normally the one or two times a year I manage to see one of these pass through its only for a minute or so. I got the chance to watch this one for probably ten minutes, which included poking the trees for food, eating some snow, grooming itself, and enjoying a bit of soaking up the sun. A couple of the local chickadees seemed to be checking it out, presumably trying to decide if it was a threat or a competitor for the local bird feeders.