My son and I observed a male Black-backed Woodpecker on Friday afternoon at Stephen's Gulch Conservation Area north of Bowmanville. We watched it for 10 minutes, working its way up a Scot's Pine only 15 ft from the trail. We heard tapping and expected to find one of the many Hairy woodpeckers we often see along this trail - what a lovely surprise!
Stephen's Gulch C.A. is north of Bowmanville - here is a link to a map: http://www.cloca.com/con_areas/index.php To get to the location where we spotted the bird, walk the trail clockwise. After about 1km the trail passes through the bottom of a valley with a small stream and is currently filled with trilliums, which directly after is followed by a long steep incline with two bridges (one broken but still passable). The stand of Scot's pine is located about 200m along the trail past the top of the incline.
