While taking a walk through the woods, looking for Brown Creepers and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Dawna Foreman and I were surprised to see a Red-bellied Woodpecker fly and land on a nearby tree.  I was so excited that I jumped up and down whooping it up.  Of course the bird flew off, but not too far.  We saw it two or three times in the next few minutes, then spotted two Brown Creepers, Downy Woodpecker, Chickadees, and Red-breasted Nuthatch as we finished our woodland walk.  I have not seen any reports of Red-bellied Woodpeckers in the Mad River Valley.  It is a species that seems to be expanding its range and has been reported in the Champlain Valley and southern parts of Vermont on VTBird, there was also one reported in Randolph last fall.  What a great bird to add to the Valley list – hopefully next time I’ll have my camera and will be properly quiet in the area! UPDATE: As of the end of March, the bird has been spotted several times.

Red-bellied Woodpecker
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