Say that a Flicker is one of your all-time favorite birds. Among the woodpecker clan Flickers stand apart. Not black and white. No. Tan and gray, with black spots, blue-gray heads with red spots, bright yellow under the wings, and white-rumps. On top of it all, they’re BIG.
Flickers are cool.
Yesterday while driving you saw one on a neighborhood lawn. Always gives your day a lift to see a Flicker. You don’t want to say this bird “flicks” in and out of your life, but it does. Screw the unavoidable wordplay. Flickers flick.
You stop to look. Then another Flicker flicks into the scene and joins the first one. It’s a slow street, no traffic. You’re all eyes for these Flickers, favorite birds of yours. Then a third Flicker joins them.
Flickers aren’t flockers. Especially not in mid-summer.
This must be commented on. You sit stopped, watching, and another Flicker lands near the three. Really? A Flicker flock is not expected at any time of year but really not now.
They’re BIG. They’re tan and speckled with those red markings on their heads and faces, and then they all fly off, white rumps reminding you of a herd of deer jumping away in the woods—a sight you know well.
Four Flickers? One would have been great. You drive away with a private smile. Such moments are unexpected, rare—like a Flicker flock itself. You gotta appreciate ‘em when they come along. And if you have the chance, share ‘em.
Flickers in summer are solitary, you’re right. They group up during migration, but not in August in the Midwest. A flock of flickers is worth a comment!