I first noticed woodpecker activity at this location on April 4, when I saw a male and female (presumably a pair) in the area and noticed one of them working on a new, round hole in the rotted limb of a black(?) oak. On April 30, a male was quietly hanging out in a nearby oak. On May 12, I heard young calling in the area and was thrilled to see a female woodpecker come to a nest cavity in the rotted limb. I stayed for about an hour and saw the female come to the nest about 4 times. The male finally showed up as I was leaving. The young were calling almost constantly the whole time I was there. Through my scope, I could see their bills when the parents came to feed them. An added bonus was watching a Pacific-slope Flycatcher nest-building in the same tree!
I was certain these were Downy Woodpeckers while in the field, based on general size and calls that I've heard in that area (not the emphatic "peek" of a Hairy Woodpecker; also, I'm pretty sure I've heard some whinnying in that area in past years). While I do sometimes have trouble telling Hairies and Downies apart, I don't remember having much confusion over this woodpecker's id while in the field. But then I checked the only decent photo that I took (of the female), and now I'm not so sure. I guess I'll have to go back out there and nail down the species id. But any comments are welcome.
Update: 5/16/12 - I went back out to get some more pictures of the woodpeckers today. I'm pretty certain they're Downy Woodpeckers. I've added a few pictures of the male that show a good amount of black barring on the tail, and the male's bill doesn't look quite as large as the female's. For what it's worth, the female was flicking her tongue in and out, and I think my photo caught a bit of her tongue, making the bill look a little longer than it really was. I've seen some Hairy Woodpeckers in the last few months, and the bills on the Healdsburg Ridge woodpeckers don't seem as large as what I've come to expect from a Hairy. Though I have to say, they don't seem as stubby as a typical Downy bill, either. In the field, the cavity really seems like the perfect size for a Downy -it's pretty small. I've posted a video on YouTube at http://youtu.be/Nk3fSUuSfsg that shows both the female and the male coming to the nest.
I also posted a picture of the nest-tree here. The cavity is circled in white and is pretty much in the center of the picture.
The Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens, is the smallest woodpecker in North America. Adults are mainly black on the upper parts and wings, with a white back, throat and belly and white spotting on the wings. There is a white bar above the eye and one below. They have a black tail with white outer feathers barred with black. Adult males have a red patch on the back of the head.
