Thursday, July 23, 2015

Wonderful Weekly Woodpeckers

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. 

6 comments:

Kate said...

I'm the same way in the heat. Lovely new start. The woodpeckers are all so cute.

Angie said...

Beth, 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.

Sally said...

Beautiful bird photos and I love your cats!

Great new start.

Barb said...

I love seeing the wonderful woodpecker photos. I know just what you mean. I am so done with the summer and this nasty heat.

Frances said...

The cats are wonderful!! So fluffy!
The young flicker caught my eye--so rumpled like a little boy!! ha

Maggee said...

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!