[obol] Black-backed and/or Three-toed Woodpeckers

[Dave Mellinger]

Saturday at Big Lake near Santiam Pass, two woodpeckers flew up to a tree within 10-15 seconds of each other and worked the tree.  One had a solid black back, the other a heavily barred back.  Neither had any color on its cap that I could see, though I was looking upwards at them and it's possible I missed something there.  Both had all-black wings when perched, as well as white chins, throats, and breasts.  The totally black back on one was readily apparent -- it moved around the tree so I got to see it from many angles -- as was the obvious barring on the back of other.  Both had some barring on the sides.  When they left this tree they flew off within a few seconds of each other, and in the same direction.

I'm not very familiar with Black-backed and Three-toed Woodpeckers, and didn't have a bird book at the time (shame!).  I thought I was seeing male and female Black-backeds, with the male missing its colorful crown because it's late autumn now.  The white breasts and all-black wings would rule out sapsuckers.  After getting to a bird book, I found that female Black-backeds do indeed have solid black backs, so the one with the barred back was apparently a Three-toed.  Is that likely?  Do these species forage together?  Are there any juvenal fall forms of either of these that I might have mistaken one for?  Any other ideas?

Dave