I made an early morning run out to the YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER stakeout site at the s.e. corner of Vadis Rd. & Milne Rd. I was there before dawn hoping to also get a look at the Short-eared Owl found there by David Irons and Shawneen Finnegan last week.  I struck out on the Owl but I did find the Sapsucker, my 278th Oregon Life Photo bird, twice - first with the help of Diana Byrne and then later with Dave & Shawneen.  Before Diana left, the Sapsucker flew n.e. across Vadis road into pine trees lining a residential lot.  Twenty minutes later the bird was back in the large tree located on the s.w. corner of the abandoned property on Milne Rd.  Just before I left the area, the sapsucker flew n.e. again but this time all the way across highway 26 into a small stand of douglas fir. I put these locations on a map at the bottom of my blog post. Ten Frames:

For my family and non-birding friends - this species is rarely occurs in Oregon. Just one to two individual birds have been found in the state during each of the last five years.  So I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to photograph one so close to home.  

Interactive Map of the Area: