A juvenile Hairy woodpecker flying towards Stockton’s Unified Science Center saw an extension of the woods instead of a wall of windows. The young bird, fooled by the life-like reflections, crashed into the glass. Lucky for the stunned, motionless bird, Lester Block, a professional services specialist, spotted him on the sidewalk below the windows on his way into work.
The bird was taken to John Rokita at the Animal Care Facility and by late morning was ready for release. He passed the flight test inside the lab with flying colors, so Block, John Rokita, and student Tom Gleason brought him to an open space to set him free.
The Hairy woodpecker, which feasts primarily on wood-boring beetles, is very similar in appearance to the Downy woodpecker. The main difference: the Hairy woodpecker has a larger bill, as long as the bird’s head.
