Since the cold weather hit the large woodpeckers are here every day,
all day, coming and going at the suet feeders.
Above and below - female Northern flicker - such a beautiful large bird (up to 12")
who loves our suet feeders.
Male Flicker - note he has the black 'moustache'
Both male and female have the brilliant red spot on the nape of the neck.
This colorful garden bird is the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a somewhat smaller
8-9" medium-sized woodpecker. This is the male with the red chin - female has
a white chin.
An interesting bird, it drills holes in a pattern of horizontal rows in small to
medium sized trees to bleed tree sap. Many birds drink from sapsucker taps,
and oozing sap attracts insects which sapsuckers eat.
The Sapsucker itself actually doesn't suck sap, rather it laps it with a long tongue.
Any woodpeckers in your garden lately?
Best wishes for the weekend - how on earth did the week go by so quickly!
An interesting bird, it drills holes in a pattern of horizontal rows in small to
medium sized trees to bleed tree sap. Many birds drink from sapsucker taps,
and oozing sap attracts insects which sapsuckers eat.
The Sapsucker itself actually doesn't suck sap, rather it laps it with a long tongue.
Any woodpeckers in your garden lately?
Best wishes for the weekend - how on earth did the week go by so quickly!
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I ask myself that very same question too Mary - I can't believe that we are already into the second month of 2018.
ReplyDeleteMy husband has just walked into the room and noticed your birds on the computer and remarked what brilliant pictures they are.
I love seeing your birds again! It is interesting that the flickers come to your suet, but not to mine. Here they just drill for insects in the ground. The other woodpeckers that I had today were the downy and the red-bellied woodpecker. The downy seems to be enjoying the peanut butter!
ReplyDeleteFarm Gal in VA
Lovely photos of the woodpecker activity in your garden, Mary.
ReplyDeleteI used to hang suet feeders until I thought the neighbors might be thinking I was the one attracting them when I heard them drilling on their houses. Now I see they still come to my feeders and I do enjoy watching them.
The yellow bellied sapsuckers were a mystery to me when I first moved here. I have many trees bearing their telltale patterns. It hasn't seemed to harm the trees at all.
Hi Mary :) Lovely photos! I do love the birds at the feeder. We had a few large woodpeckers in January with grand red mohawks! :) They do love that suet, but the Blue Jays are so pushy, they always knock the suet feeders down. We had to take them down until we can figure out another way to keep them up!
ReplyDeleteWe do get woodpeckers but I mostly hear and rarely see them.
ReplyDeleteThe suet feeder on my kitchen window sill is not loved by the birds. I thought I am doing something good by buying proper bird food for them, but my Uncle - who is the family expert on birds, next to my Dad - told me that the suet they put in the ready-made feeders is often of a very minor quality and not really fit for eating by any animal. I may just leave it out another few days and then throw it away if nothing gets eaten.
The dots pattern on the woodpeckers is so beautiful!
What beautiful birds, and great photos Mary. I have only once seen a woodpecker, in 2015 when visiting Canada. I was very taken with its brilliant colouring - and startled by the noise of the pecking.
ReplyDeleteNo woodpeckers over here, but I'm happy to have visits from any kind of birds as I love watching them all. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat fantastic photos!!
ReplyDeleteYes, the woodpeckers love our suet, but the mockingbird, hermit thrush and yellow rumped warbler like it very much too. We need more suet feeders!
I know what you mean about the week flying by. Where does it go? How I love flickers. Sometimes we get them in our garden in the summer, but I don't see them this time of year. They seem to come in pairs. Fascinating about the sap suckers too. Such beautiful birds.
ReplyDeleteOh ....amazing shots!
ReplyDeleteHa, noting as exotic here, just crows mainly! Oh and turkey vultures.
ReplyDelete