What’s black and white and has a red head? Okay, that may not be exactly how the riddle goes, but the answer to my version is, of course, a red headed woodpecker (Melanerpes etythrocephalus). Ever since I got a very far away shot of one last December, I’ve been wanting a closer encounter with one. And finally it happened. There was one down on the country road that I often take home in the evenings after work. As I approached, it flew up into a pine tree, so I decided to stop and see what was happening. Boy was I glad I did! Not only were there two adults, but there were also three or four fledglings flying around. It seems that they were nesting in the top of a dead pine tree that was part of a number of trees lining a farm field. These birds are usually forest dwellers, so I was surprised to find them in an area of fields. I guess it was working for them, though. They had a great place for their nest, and the fields on either side were full of insects for them to eat. There also seemed to be ample insects up in the stand of pines, so not only was there this family of birds living there, but there were families of several other species as well. It turned out to be a wonderful place to find quite a few birds, including a couple species I hadn’t seen before.