One on the backyard fence, and its mate in the tree : as far as I can tell, these were woodpeckers called northern flickers.
[From Wikipedia] The northern flicker is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands. It is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate. They eat fruits, berries, seeds and nuts, but their primary food is insects.Their tongues can dart out 2 inches beyond the end of the bill to snare prey. 