Flicker kiss

Northern Flickers usually peck at the ground for insects (mmm, nutritious ant larvae!) but occasionally they peck at trees. They do excavate nest holes in dead or diseased tree trunks. However, I don’t think this male was excavating a nest. The tree trunk was riddled with little holes and the Flicker pecked the trunk in a few different places. He didn’t enter the large hole on his right but he did poke his head in for a bit.

Before the kiss:

I saw this Northern Flicker at Bowmont Park on April 12, 2016 while walking a path along the Bow River.