First record for Red-bellied Woodpecker 
     
    
   
   
    
     BY GEOFF HOGAN 
     
    
   
   
    
     Sometime during the first week of December 1987 an adult male Red— 
     
     bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) turned up on the property of 
     
     Roy Riddlington in St. Catherines, Queen's County. The sighting by Mr. 
     
     Riddlington and his family in the woods and old orchard trees near the 
     
     house constituted the first record of this species for the Island. The 
     
     bird continued to show itself almost daily thereafter, feeding on grains 
     
     scattered for other birds. The Red—bellied woodpecker is easily recogniz- 
     
     ed by its black and white "zebra back", a red crown and nape of the neck 
     
     in the male (the female has only the red nape), and a buffy, unspotted 
     
     breast. The mid-abdomen region may appear reddish although this may not 
     
     always be apparent. The species is only a bit larger than a Hairy Wood- 
     
     pecker. 
     
    

    
     The Red-bellied Woodpecker is considered to be a rare Canadian 
     
     species being found as a breeding bird only in extreme southern Ontario. 
     
     Sightings elsewhere in the country are unusual. The normal range for the 
     
     species is from New York to Florida and 
     
     Texas. Interestingly, the few sightings 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     of the Red—bellied Woodpecker in Nova For the next Issue, 
     
     Scotia over the years have been mostly 
     
    

    
     during the late fall and winter periods This issue of the Island 
     
     and, when they do turn up, they are Naturalist was delayed a 
     
     usually seen at bird feeding stations. bit so that the results of 
     
     The sighting by the Riddlingtons is in the Christmas bird counts 
     
     keeping with these observations. Mr. could be included. Dead— 
     
     Riddlington also noted the woodpecker line for the March—April 
     
     was not at all intimidated by Blue Jays issue will be the February 
     
     and, in fact, reacted by driving them 2 meeting of the society. 
     
     away from the feeding area. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Wel I underway 
     
    
   
   
    
     Naturalists in the western part 
     
     of Prince Edward Island now have 
     
     their own club and newsletter. About 
     
     50 members make up the Lady's Slip- 
     
     per Naturalists, and four newslet— 
     
     ters have been produced so far. Pre- 
     
     sident Les Homans said the group 
     
     meets the third Thursday in each 
     
     month at 7:30 p.m. at the Eptek Cen— 
     
     ter in Summerside. They are exchang— 
     
     ing newsletters with the NHS and one 
     
     will be available at our meetings. 
     
    

    
     “The most recent issue contained re— 
     
     ports of meetings, a story on birds 
     
     in the U.K., sightings, checklists 
     
     and a variety of other interesting 
     
     articles. Geoff Hogan (who will be 
     
     guest speaker at the group's Jan. 
     
     21 meeting), Susan Stephenson and 
     
     Gary Schneider will be working from 
     
     the NHS end to keep the two groups 
     
    

    
     vw‘ in touch and hopefully plan some 
     
     joint outings. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
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