Northern Flicker

Looking out my living room window this afternoon, I spotted this guy and a few of his colorful buddies merrily hopping around my front yard foraging for insects.
I have always had a love of nature and wildlife but since moving back to Pennsylvania a year and a half ago, I have developed an interest in bird watching, identification and photography as well.
This is actually my first attempt at photographing a bird and I think it turned out pretty well considering that I had to shoot it through my window so as to avoid scaring it off.
The Northern Flicker is a member of the woodpecker family and is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba and the Cayman Islands and according to the Audubon guide, "flickers are the only woodpeckers that frequently feed on the ground", probing with their beak, also sometimes catching insects in flight. Although they eat fruits, berries, seeds and nuts, their primary food is insects.

"Spring would not be Spring without bird songs."
~ Francis M. Chapman