Red-headed, Henne

Several Novembers ago, my wife surprised me with the news that she thought she might have seen a Red-headed Woodpecker at our feeder. Pam certainly is well-acquainted with these birds, which were common in the Indiana park near to where she grew up on the western edge of the state. But they're extremely rare in Connecticut, where they only show up at a handful of feeders in the winter months. Turns out that one of those feeders would be ours and one bird stayed with us until mid-March, when it finally headed off somewhere to find a mate. I got word last week that we might be in for a Red-headed return when a family group—we think two adults and two juveniles—was spotted working the dead trees at the Henne preserve, and I wanted to try to get pictures. The woodpeckers were wonderfully cooperative and put on a very noisy show. No doubt about identity. The head's now more brown than red, but the contrast between the white and the black is unmistakable in these exceptionally handsome visitors. I not only wonder if they're here for the winter, but if perhaps they're here to stay and become part of the fauna. We shall see.