So many Downy Woodpeckers all year-round, but this winter there is just one Hairy Woodpecker (the downy’s larger cousin) being served at our bird restaurant.
She visits maybe four out of seven days, that I notice. She appears in my latest Project Feederwatch count.
The Red-bellied Woodpecker won’t visit the feeders when I am outside. I took this picture through the window.
A sleek, round-headed woodpecker, about the same size as a Hairy Woodpecker but without the blocky outlines.
But Hairy Woodpeckers are bolder. I was sitting in a deck chair when these two showed up last night.
The one on the right is a fledgling. It was following its father around, noisily begging to be fed. Look at its fluffy head!
A Hairy Woodpecker gloms on to a suet cake. The red mark on its head identifies it as a male.
Hairy Woodpeckers and and their smaller cousins Downy Woodpeckers are abundant around here, bold around people, and sometimes comical in their maneuvers.
Here’s a short video from last night: a Hairy Woodpecker visits the platform feeder and a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird sips sugar water nearby. Both are females.
I bought the platform feeder recently to try to accommodate as many different kinds of backyard birds as possible.
It is made of recycled plastic, has coated steel cables and a metal hook for hanging and a metal screen bottom.
On the menu: raw peanuts, suet nuggets, and Audubon Workshop Premium Mix for Fruit and Nut Lovers.
On the menu for us humans: sausage on the grill, wild rice, collard greens from our garden cooked with bacon, onions, apple cider vinegar.
The view on Friday evening.
I love summer.
Recommended: Woodlink Audubon Going Green Platform Feeder
Recommended: Aspects HummZinger HighView 12 oz Hanging Hummingbird Feeder
For size comparison, a photo of a Downy Woodpecker and a Hairy Woodpecker, taken last winter…
The larger of two look alikes, the Hairy Woodpecker is a small but powerful bird that forages along trunks and main branches of large trees. It wields a much longer bill than the Downy Woodpecker’s almost thornlike bill. Hairy Woodpeckers have a somewhat soldierly look, with their erect, straight-backed posture on tree trunks and their cleanly striped heads.
Amy's Bird Blog 