I've lived in the same one-mile radius for approximately 50 years, and red-headed woodpeckers have always been locally common. However, when I reported two of them in my feeders during the Great Backyard Bird Count in February, it caused quite a stir, since red-heads appear to be rapidly diminishing all over their territory. Supposedly, they're being pushed out by increasing populations of red-bellied woodpeckers. In our yard, we occasionally see a red-bellied, but the red-heads don't tolerate it for long and drive it away. I'm wondering if red-heads are as rare as I've been told, since I still see 2-3 of them in my feeders. Is my neighborhood a woodpecker abberation?
It is my understanding that the european starlings and the disappearance of small farmland habitat has also contributed to their decline as well. I have never seen one my self - they look really cool. Nice picture - send some more out when you can.
-dave
I've only seen one red-headed woodpecker in my life, at Killdeer Plains in Marion county, Ohio, a couple years ago. Apparently, there have been some recent sightings at Highbanks Metro Park in northern Columbus, but I didn't see any.