I've been reading and napping far more than I've been stitching lately. Something about hot weather makes me lethargic I guess. I have made a small start on one of the charts I was recently gifted with, Bent Creek's "Uncle Sam Flatbed".
It continue to be a good week for bird watching; especially woodpeckers.
While not at the feeders, I have seen a Downy working on a dead snag.
The larger Hairy Woodpeckers, in contrast, are everywhere!
Here are a juvenile male and female at the front feeders.
Female Hairy
Young male Hairy - note the red on his head is 'blotchy'.
Here's yet another juvenile male Hairy. The red is atop his head rather than at the back as it would be for a mature male.
One of the female Hairy Woodpeckers is also a regular at the backyard feeders.
Since the Starlings have mostly disappeared, I decided to set out a suet cylinder. The Hairys love it.
I've also seen a couple of juvenile Red-breasted Sapsuckers. Rather than a red head, theirs is more of a dark chocolate brown.
In comparison, here's a mature adult Sapsucker with the bright head and chest.
I think I'm seeing a bit more of the Acorn Woodpeckers in the last week or so.
I was pleased to see a female again after a long dry spell.
This Acorn Woodpecker has brought back stash to the granary tree. I watched as he found an appropriate sized hole and carefully tucked away his prize.
The Flickers are very active.
I thought they had finished raising their youngsters, but I've decided otherwise.
I think this is a father (right) and son (left).
The son was very submissive.
Later on I saw a male feeding a young female.
Here's a rumpled newly fledged male Flicker.
Isn't he a cutie?
The Flickers have also flocked to my new suet cyclinder!
Here you can see the Hairy Woodpeckers and Flickers can eat together without conflict. At one point I had a Hairy, a Flicker, and an Acorn Woodpecker all eating together.
And it wouldn't be a Wonderful Woodpecker Week without an appearance by a Pileated Woodpecker.
I'm sure I've said it before, but that is one stunning bird!
I now aspire to some day stumble across a Pileated's nest and see a couple of youngsters.
Last year I was lucky to have both a male and female come by and work away on a snag.
Now I'll probably go for a time without seeing or hearing this bird.
I'm the same way in the heat. Lovely new start. The woodpeckers are all so cute.
ReplyDeleteBeth, I have never seen a flicker in our garden. Last Winter I found a dead woodpecker right next to our garage in the flower bed. He looked intact with no obvious injury. It was the prettiest bird I had ever seen. Especially the bit of bright yellow in his tail feathers. I'm assuming it was a flicker. I have a picture on my cell phone but no way of posting it here.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful bird photos and I love your cats!
ReplyDeleteGreat new start.
I love seeing the wonderful woodpecker photos. I know just what you mean. I am so done with the summer and this nasty heat.
ReplyDeleteThe cats are wonderful!! So fluffy!
ReplyDeleteThe young flicker caught my eye--so rumpled like a little boy!! ha
What a great woodpecker 'tour'! Loved it! We still have Downy's visit here once in a while that I see... perhaps more that I do not see! I am wondering about putting out peanuts... do other birds prefer them also? Like starlings? And I bet the squirrels do... so maybe not... We shall see. Need more feeders for winter... gotta sell more stash! Hugs!
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