#2921 "Red-breasted Woodpecker Friend"

#2921 "Red-breasted Woodpecker Friend"
20x16 Oils on canvas
Started Monday, February 3rd, 2025 in the Singleton Studio

This is another image taken by my friend, John Verburg, a naturalist and terrific photographer. John provides a tremendous source of inspiration during the winter when the windchill encourages me to stay within the Singleton Studio.

One day my wife asked me what was making a particular sound. My hearing is certainly not what it used to be which is why I now employ hearing aids. Anyway, I thought I heard a tree frog. There are lots of tree frogs within the Singleton Sanctuary. 

She wisely persisted but I all heard were tree frogs. Linda had Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab on her phone. The wizardry of the excellent application immediately solved the mystery. It was the red-bellied woodpecker impersonating the fabled tree frog. We enjoy these birds all year round. That also explains why we hear tree frogs on the coldest day in the winter. As always, my wife made my day and I learned something new.

The red-bellied woodpecker is apparently one of the rarest woodpeckers in Ontario although they are common in the Singleton Sanctuary. This species has been expanding its range since 1970 from the eastern United States into Canada. The Red-bellied Woodpecker prefers mature primarily Carolinian deciduous forests. That is exactly the type of forest that we are encouraging at Singleton. As confirmed on the distribution map below, Singleton is on the extreme northern tip of their range. 

Their bellies only display a hint of colour while their crowns are a mix of red and bold orange. I employed several hues of red to get it just right. 

These woodpeckers eat mostly insects, spiders, and bugs. Plant materials like acorns, nuts, pinecones, seeds, and fruits are also part of its diet. It also may occasionally eat lizards, nesting birds, and minnows. In the winter they will feast on seeds and cracked corn. Red-bellied woodpeckers call using rolling "chirr" or "qurr" sounds - just like tree frogs.

The series of Arctic vortices spinning out of the northwest into the cold trough over Eastern Ontario has made the winter of 2024-25 more reminiscent of my childhood. I paint in the Studio but love the walks in the winter forest... 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2025. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick