Post Number 3000!

I'm working away on Hearthstring Samplery's "Black-capped Chickadee". After stitching the head and white breast I discovered I'd miscounted the third row of the head.  Fortunately the error was on the right, so I just had to add a stitch for about 6 rows rather than frog out a couple hundred stitches.  Crisis averted!

And yes - this is Blog Post #3000!  My first post was on June 10, 2009.  I did not post every day until 2010, but since then I've been very conscientious about posting each day, though a few times I've had to play 'catch-up' due to internet or power issues.  

Let's take a look at some woodpeckers shall we? 

The little Downy Woodpeckers are not coming to the feeders, but both the female...

...and the male are loving to eat verbascum (mullein) seeds. I have a couple of plants in the front flowerbeds.  I hate how they throw out hundreds of baby plants each year, but I cannot deny their woodpecker magnetism. 

The Hairy Woodpeckers are frequenting the feeders in the front and back. 

The female like to perch atop the deer fence. 

Yep, you!

The male generally announces his presence with a loud "PEEP!" as he flies in to land on the feeder. 

He then sometimes continues to chat while he eats.

Weirdly, the last three times I've seen a Red-breast Sapsucker, the bird has been with another woodpecker - in this case an Acorn Woodpecker.

Here's the Sapsucker flying in...

And here he is with a Flicker.

Not very good pictures.  Heavy smoke in the air and the bird was far away.

The Acorn Woodpeckers have been AWOL from the feeders.

My theory is that the acorns are ripe and the birds are busy caching nuts.

I do hear the birds chattering as they work away at their granary tree. 

Flickers!  Yes, I've got Flickers.

A female...

...and a male.

And one smokey day a Pileated Woodpecker stopped by. 

The sky is an ugly brown-gray from forest fires.

The bird is magnificent.

I am thrilled each and every time I see one of these large birds.

What's not to admire, right?