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This Redbellied Woodpecker is a regular. I call him Slobber because he seems to produce more than normal saliva. He looks mighty fine again now that nesting season stress is over. This week, I plan to make the calendar and hopefully have it ready by Friday. I will make a special announcement when it is done too. Come good into Monday!
A fun visitor this morning, an adult Redheaded Woodpecker! I only ever had an immature here before. I love these guys, they are one of the prettiest woodpeckers we have. He/she was checking it all out, first the Birdfy feeder, then the ground, then the pond. I hope they stick around for a bit. Happy Friday!
The other week, I talked about a Redbellied Woodpecker with a slightly different look. It has a brownish tint which I think comes from going into a nesting cavity in a tree with darkening sap. I could be wrong and would love to hear some theories. Anyways, this woodpecker visited yesterday, along with a more regular looking one, and now you can see the difference side by side. Same species, different individuals.
and the Red-bellied Woodpeckers were very frequent visitors at the food bowls. There are several individuals around but especially this male always sticks out because of the “line” on his forehead (he is in the second and third photo). The female is a beauty as well with her big blue-grey forehead. I love that these guys are hanging around, especially since I do not put suet out (I don’t like how bonkers the Starlings get over it and the woodpeckers always came regardless).
makes your cheeks red, goes a German saying. However, cold air has the same effect. I look similar to this Redbellied Woodpecker after going outside to refill feeders and baths. Stay warm, everybody!
started out fun and with lots of red. This male Red-bellied Woodpecker came with blush! He seems to be new, the other one I normally see has a lot less red. He is spectacular 😍
The camera on the ground has not lured in the leucistic Junco yet, but it has gotten some interest today too. It almost feels like the birds need to learn to not be shy with my cameras again, it’s been so long since a Downy has visited. The Cardinal is one of several that are hanging around.
I posted about this bird yesterday but I am still unsure, maybe someone with more knowledge can chime in. What would you say the Redbellied Woodpecker on the left is, a male or female? Second photo shows a regular male.
Fun surprise visitor today - a Northern Flicker! This is a male, as you can tell from his "mustache". I love how feisty he was with the Starlings, and I hope he will return. I love Flickers because they are so stunning but also because they love ants. Usually, they feed here on the ground. As you can tell, they are quite large woodpeckers too. I'll have to adjust the cam if he comes back.
I noticed that for some reason, I see the females more in the warm season and the males more often during colder weather. I loved how the wetness showed more of the textures and colors on this one, plus, you can see a bit of the name-giving characteristic, the reddish belly. Interestingly enough, they very rarely visit the tree cam whereas the Downy Woodpeckers love it there.
is a regular now, and I am still wondering if it is a male or a female. With this species, the females have a greyish forehead, followed by red, the males have an all red forehead and cap. This one kind of has both. I guess in the end it does not matter. It is a beauty to behold, and I always get a kick out of having individual birds that I somehow recognize.
A Downy / Hairy splitscreen. Downy is on the left.
visiting Michigan backyards that can be hard to tell apart, the Downy and the Hairy Woodpecker. They look very similar from afar, and if you don’t see them next to each other, identification can be really tough. I have both visiting, and this week, they both came to the camera too. Both are females, having no red spot on the head. Apart from the size difference, the length of their beaks is a great ID marker. The Hairy Woodpecker in the second photo has a much longer beak. (I know the Hairy photo is not super focused but it showed the beak so well that I decided to use it.) As a bonus, there is a pretty Redbellied Woodpecker from a foggy morning.
I did some yard work today, using the nice weather to mow over the first load of leaves and doing some cleanup. There is not much going on birdwise, and the Evening Grosbeaks that are seemingly visiting everybody in Michigan are snubbing me. But I watched the super woodpecker docu from PBS tonight with one of my favorites.
A Downy Woodpecker has started to explore and "excavate" the Bluebird box. I added the wood shavings for that purpose. She has not spent a night in there yet but the weather has been mild still too.
And there was a hawk attack earlier, I guess that also might keep birds a bit at bay...
the evenings are getting cooler, and there is still not much going on bird-wise. Yesterday I saw the Bluebirds, which was wonderful because it’s been quite a while. At least two Redbreasted Nuthatches have emerged and are competing with the Chickadees for material that is worthy to cache for the winter. I like the light at this time of the year because it feels less harsh. Here are some of the current regulars, look at that Woodpecker, all nice and pretty again! Have a great Tuesday.
