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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!
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 😍
how, along with vegetation, the light changes throughout the year, and each season has something special. And while the lushness of summer and spring are wonderful, the cold season also has some pretty aspects. The morning sun gives everything a magical glow while the afternoon sun creates lens flares that make otherwise more boring photos more fun.
everybody’s favorite but I cherish this current cold weather because it brought in the birds! The last two days have been awesome, with more activity than in the last few months. The female Purple Finch is still around, as well as a White-throated Sparrow. It felt like everybody stopped by to say Hi.
has been interesting, with lots of rain and cooler temps after the hot and dry weeks. I am happy to see the lawn and garden grow, also because I know that all the baby birds that are growing everywhere are getting good nutrition from all the bugs and worms. After a bit of a hiatus the Orioles have returned in full force today, a good sign that their babies are getting bigger and ready to fledge. I loved seeing the very beautiful female Cardinal, the adorable baby Grack, and seeing the return of the most interesting Redbellied Woodpecker (in photo 2). Is it a boy? Is it a girl? The last photo is a regular male. It is the calm before baby birds are flooding the yard. Good times.
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.
because sometimes it can feel like summer still but it can also quickly turn to winter. This year, the trees took their good time to turn, and the backyard looked lovely, all dipped in reds, orange, gold and green. For the calendar, I first looked at the small birds, so the two Chickadees and the Goldfinch were potential choices. But then my eyes fell on the Redbellied Woodpecker lady, and I thought her size, the colors and detail would work a lot better. So that is why she is Miss November. My calendars are on sale this week, you can get yours here. Come good into the weekend!
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.
are one of the year-round residents in my yard, and they are cherished because of their goofy personality and their stunning looks. There appear to be several males around. All are once again beautiful after the molt, and there are some subtle ways I can tell them apart. In these photos, you can see that one has a more pale red spot right above the beak. The other one is all vibrant there. You can also see a bit of the name-giving “red belly”. I have always enjoyed seeing them up close because there is so much going on color-wise, from the red eyes to the blushed cheeks, the differently shaded chest to the black and white back. Another way to tell them apart is to watch them drink. One of them produces a lot of saliva, while the other does not.
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.
seem to have more than one youngster. I have noticed a second one that has a stronger marking on the forehead. I decided to call them Canado and Canada because the red patch looks a bit like a Maple leaf. Canado is the one with the larger red patch, and he also has more streaks on the chest. I have no idea though if it is actually a male, time will tell. Canada is in pic 1, Canado in the other two.
appears to have figured out the camera feeder and is taking lots of mug shots, much to my delight because I think it looks beautiful. It is still looking a bit like a black and white copy of it’s parents but there is some red coming in on the forehead. The eyes are still brown instead of the dark red of the adults. This is a very vocal bird too, very entertaining.
are birds that I see here year-round. I love them for their goofiness and also because they are not feeder-shy. This year, the resident couple has raised one baby, and that baby has now started to come to the cameras too. The male turns into a slobbering mess every summer (he produces a lot of saliva), and molting does not do him any favors either. I think the hole nesting process must be extra hard on him. Did you know that the males actually incubate too with this species? Pretty cool. (male, youngster, female from left to right)
but in the winter, some of them have made themselves rare. Now, the males are coming out and visit more frequently (apparently they love the sunshine as much as I do). Here are a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Downy Woodpecker. Downy Woodpeckers look very similar to Hairy Woodpeckers, but they are noticeably smaller and have a shorter beak (there are other ID features but these are the most obvious). The Redbellied is named so for his red patch on the belly. There is also a Redheaded Woodpecker, but I only had one one time here. I love Woodpeckers and am happy to have them around.
