A woodpecker never seen before.
Observation: During a walk Arlene Shimanek and Pauline Echuck noticed a strange looking bird, it had perched itself on one of the power lines and started pecking at the wood. We had gotten all excited, realizing that this type of bird has not been seen around this part of Alaska. I am curious, are they around all year or seasonal to Alaska? Could it be that they are in Alaska now because of colder conditions state side (Lower 48), is cold for them to be down there?
Turns out after we had spotted the bird another person spotted one this past fall; they were making a steam (sauna) and thought someone was knocking. Then got curious as to what was knocking around them, they went and looked and seen a woodpecker trying to peck one of their steam logs to make a shelter for itself. The person didn't know what kind of bird it was, but after we had our story and said it was a woodpecker they decided that's what they saw also. We think these birds could potentially be a threat in a rural community by nesting in our homes and inside the power lines. So it is important for us to research these birds and figure out if it is a woodpecker and why it’s in this part of Alaska. It had a red topped head, and a grey and black body.
LEO says: According to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game "seven species occur in the state: the northern flicker, red-breasted sapsucker, yellow-bellied sapsucker, and hairy, downy, three-toed, and black-backed woodpeckers. Very little is known about the ecology of woodpeckers in Alaska. Most of the following information comes from studies conducted in other parts of North America."
It appears from the range maps that several of these species are found in southwestern Alaska, although the perhaps not as close to the coast as Goodnews Bay. A likely candidate is the downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescenc) or the hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus). They look quite similar but are different in size, the hairy being larger then the downy. It will be interested to learn if you see (or hear) more. Let us know if you get a photo and we will try to help with identification. Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds (M. Brubaker)
Observations From Members 