Observers: J. Zatorski
Email: jerryzat@verizonmail.com
Verification: MONO
Remote Name: 65.244.205.238
Date: 03/30/2007
Time: 05:16 PM -0500
Female bird with back barred all the way to the nape, no black nape as in Nuttall's. Side of face whitish with black crescent-like mark, back of head with lots of white with thin black line in middle. Bird gave single call notes higher than Nuttall's call notes and a chee chee chee chee chee chee ... song with the notes being clearly separated from one another, unlike the Nuttall's staccato-like string of notes, and higher pitch than Nuttall's too. Did not get to see the barring on the tail, or a good breast or front of face views as I didn't have any optics with me on my run. The bird was seen just west of Airport Rd. along south fork Bishop Creek on the north side of the creek. Went back about a 1/2 hour later with Chris Howard and only heard the bird. At best this is a full Ladder-backed at worst it's a Ladder-back/Nuttall's hybrid. This area is busy with woodpeckers; there were also Downy, Nuttall's and N. Flicker there too.