I recently photographed Lewis’s Woodpeckers at Fort Simcoe near Yakima, Washington, for the first time. What amazing looking birds! Their red face and pink bellies make them very photogenic. Unlike other woodpeckers, they don’t drill into trees for food, but instead snatch flying insects out of the air. This is similar behavior to flycatchers, another type of foraging bird.

Fort Simcoe State Park near Yakima, Washington, is a place where you can reliably find these birds. The woodpeckers are drawn to the many Garry oak trees in the park. This location is about a 3-hour drive from Seattle–so a bit of a stretch for a day trip. However, it’s only a 40-minute drive from Yakima and a great stop on a larger birding adventure around the Yakima/Ellensburg area. I also did some bluebird photography in Ellensburg. WA, on this trip and will do a separate post about the bluebirds.

I’m also a birder (besides a bird photographer) and keep a list of all bird species that I have seen. Adding the Lewis’s Woodpeckers at Fort Simcoe to my “life list” was the highlight of my recent trip to Yakima in central Washington.