BIRDWATCH: Rare Red‑headed Woodpecker spotted in the Ottawa Valley

BIRDWATCH: Rare Red‑headed Woodpecker spotted in the Ottawa Valley

On Jan. 11, 2026, Heather Ball of Wilson Road informed me that she had had a Red-headed Woodpecker in her yard for a few days. This is one of our more attractive woodpeckers that unfortunately, only visits us occasionally. The last sighting of this bird in our area that I am aware of was back on July 15, 2020, on Sandy Beach Road. Around that same date, another one was spotted in the Mud Lake area. That was unusual as we are lucky to get one of …