Hello, Stranger

Nothern Flickers (the yellow shafted form) are considered common birds of the Piedmont year-round, but here... it's been a mostly dry well for over eight months. Except for a very brief visit in three days of October, we saw our first Flicker---a female----since mid-May. One can tell the sexes by the presence or absence of a black "moustache" which the pictured bird doesn't possess. When we get Flickers, they are attracted to suet and will work it hard with that impressive chisel of a bill. And they'll literally crash the party, scattering other birds in every direction. So we ask the tough question: here to stay? or are there distractions that are separating me from these fascinating woodpeckers? We shall see!