January 30, 2026

I am a Red-cockaded Woodpecker

I'm probably female based on my foraging location

Males generally forage in the upper branches and crown

The lower trunk's my favorite foraging destination.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.fws.gov/species/red-cockaded-woodpecker-dryobates-borealis

Photo and text © 2026 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

November 4, 2025

I am a Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Enlarge the second photo for proof that's concrete:

Near the top of my head

There's a small spot of red

Where the black and the white feathers meet.

(Contrary to what it's name would imply, the "red cockade" is not something  big and show - it is a few tiny red feathers that are almost always hidden. The only reason that the spot shows up in this photo is because the day was very windy and his feathers were getting blown about.)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-cockaded_Woodpecker/photo-gallery/297701441

Photo and text © 2025 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

October 28, 2020

I am a Red-cockaded Woodpecker

My plumage cannot be ignored

My little white cheeks, always look sweet,

And under my wing I carry a checker board.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-cockaded_Woodpecker/id

Photo and text © 2020 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 27, 2020

I am a Red-cockaded Woodpecker, 

It's thought that I am a descendent of

Hairy Woodpeckers that were isolated in Florida

During an inter-glacial period. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103433/Dryobates_borealis

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/are-woodpeckers-evolving-to-look-like-each-other-a-new-study-says-yes/#

Photo and text © 2020 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 23, 2020

Location: Fellsmere, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

I am a Red-cockaded Woodpecker
I like to eat termites and centipedes
I also like arthropods, especially ants,
And will also eat fruit and pine seeds.

Sources: Audubon Guide to North American Birds - Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Photo and text © 2020 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

February 29, 2020

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

I am a Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Sadly, I'm an endangered species
Mostly due to habitat loss -
I require old growth trees that have red-heart diseases.

If you would like to help save the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, please consider joining the Citizens for the St Sebastian Preserve.

Sources: NatureServe Explorer - Dryobates borealis

Photo and text © 2020 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

February 8, 2020

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

I am a Red-cockaded Woodpecker,
I have a ladder back and a small, pointy beak
You will probably never see my red cockade,
But you can't miss my bright white cheeks.

(Funny story here: This picture was taken on the South Brevard Christmas Bird Count. We got to the SSRPSP at 4:30 a.m., and, armed with headlamps and waterproof boots, me and my partner in crime Kate, headed off into the woods in search of the RCW. It would be a life bird for her - we had scouted for a it a few days before the count but didn't find it. Although we didn't find the RCW, we did find that almost all of the 1.5 miles out to his tree was under about 8 inches of water.  

So, off we went into the dark woods. Being girls we chatted and yacked while walking. And walking. And walking. Eventually we came to a fence across the path that we hadn't seen on our previous trip... at which point I checked my Fitbit and realized that despite my new head lamp, we had overshot the woodpecker's tree by about 1/2 mile.  So, we trudged back through the water, and by the time we got to his tree, he had already left for the day. Dejected, we trudged all the way back to the visitor's center to regroup.

So then, after much needed coffee and a snack, we joined up with the rest of our team, got in the car, and drove down to the power lines. I walked about 10 feet from the car and this RCW flew down, said Hi, and begged me to take his picture. Which was nice and all, but it would have been WAY nicer if we hadn't spent 3 hours trudging through water pre-dawn. 

Ok, but the story doesn't end there. Oh no. So, just last week, David and I were leading a tour. The client wanted to know where the RCWs were. We walked about a mile and a half, and no sign of the RCW, despite seeing lots of appropriate trees. We figured we couldn't let the client go away without seeing anything cool, so we decided to take him out and show him a manatee. As we are driving down the road, David stops the car on the road and says, "Oh there's the RCW." We get out, and sure enough, right on the side of the road is an RCW, posing and saying hi. 

So, I have a theory that the RCWs are working in cahoots with my trainer. I think she told them that they should hide until I have gotten my Fitbit steps in for the day, then reward me with a sighting after. Which makes me wonder what I would have to do to see an Ivory-billed Woodpecker!)

Sources: Cornell Lab All About Birds - Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Photo and text © 2020 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 14, 2019

Location: Ocala National Forest

I'm a Red-cockaded Woodpecker
I have an itty-bitty red cockade.
It identifies me, but it's seldom seen,
But alas, it is why I was named.

Sources: Cornell Lab All About Birds - Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Photo and text © 2018 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

March 24, 2018

Location: Fellsmere, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

This is an artificial cavity,
Built in anticipation of a special release -
The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker,
Who needs a tree with Red-heart disease.

The park is trying to enhance
The RCW breeding population.
So they release new woodpeckers into these holes,
In hopes of baby woodpecker creation.

(Note: I had a slight technical error in yesterdays. Post. Please see the updated version. Thanks to my honeybee for catching and helping me fix the error. )

Sources:  Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Populations Begin Rebound
U.S Fish and Wildlife Service - Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Recovery

Photo and text © 2018 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

February 18, 2017

Location: DuPuis Management Area, Palm Beach County, Florida

I'm a Red-cockaded Woodpecker,
I have bright white patch on my cheek
I'm white and black, and have a ladder back,
And a little black pointy beak.

This isn't a great photo, but it is my life Red-cockaded Woodpecker. In all the years I've birded with David, I've never managed to get an identifiable shot of one before.


Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson