Sunday, February 20, 2011

Today's Visitor

Today I had a new visitor "Mrs. Downy Woodpecker". I see the Mr's occasionally.

I have found that although the downy woodpeckers and the Northern flickers will eat the blocks of suet they seem to much prefer the round tubes in the log. I go through 4 -8 logs in the time I go through one block.
The downy woodpeckers are very similiar to the Hairy Woodpecker; except they are much smaller. The downy woodpeckers are much the same size as my pine siskins and sparrows except for their long tail feathers.

They are fun to watch and listen to. Although they don't "sing", their form of song is to hammer on trees or metal poles. When I watch them pound on metal poles I am reminded of the woody woodpecker cartoons where the beak would soon be in the shape of multiple "w"s.

Maybe someday soon I'll have my camera in hand when the male appears.....

3 comments:

  1. We have a pair of cardinals that must have a nest nearby. I got pictures of both the male & female. It's so fun to see different birds come through our yard. Don't think I've ever seen a woodpecker though!

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  2. We have the Flickers here everyday but they are so much bigger and have a long beak. Fun!

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  3. These are just little downy woodpeckers Viv. The flickers are much much larger. Love them! They are also friendlier. They come right to my birdbath outside my office window.

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