Those Wacky Woodpeckers

Whether they're hopping in their jerky gait about the Maple tree in search of insects and grubs, or jostling for a place on the suet, Downy Woodpeckers are a constant source of entertainment and amusement to us.

There's something very endearing about these cute, clownish little birds. We've seen a couple of other woodpecker varieties at the feeders, but the Downy's are our everyday companions.

Male Downy woodpecker

They like the suet best, but also enjoy sunflower seed.

Stunned female woodpecker

This little lady had the unfortunate luck to fly into our sliding glass door a couple of weeks ago. Wings extended, she sprawled on the porch looking dazed, so I hurried out to see if she was OK. Cradling her in the palm of my hand, I called for hubby to please bring the camera (of course!). He held her while I took a few pictures, then I set her on the seed tray and talked softly to her. After a minute or two I was relieved to see her fly away to a nearby spruce tree. Thankfully this is a rare occurance.

Two males taking turns on the suet.

We often see two or more woodys vying for a spot on the suet.

Woody with a snowplow in the background

The males have a red spot on their head, but the females don't. We see mostly males.

You're probably wondering why the plow is out if there's no snow on the roads. The wind was blowing the snow across the road that day (one of the many) and he was pushing the snowbanks back.

Sometimes they'll share

I've seen as many as 5 in the Maple tree at once. Look closely to see two in this picture.

The Downys are not shy and will let me get quite close when I go out to fill the feeders.

I walked up the porch steps to within a few feet of this one to take the picture.

Hairy woodpecker

We see the bigger Hairy woodpeckers too, but not as often. They're very shy and I have a hard time capturing an image of them. Notice the bill is longer and they're around 7.5 inches (18.5 cm) compared with the Downy's 5.75 inches (14.5 cm).

Downy and Hairy

Just yesterday I was lucky enough to snap this picture of the two, with the Downy on the suet and the Hairy trying to chase him away. The bigger guy was hiding behind the post and peeking out at me before he worked up the courage to come into view and fly over to the suet. He was bolder than most Hairys.

Red-bellied woodpecker

For a few weeks in February and March we were pleased to see this Red-bellied woodpecker at the feeders. I've only seen one visit briefly perhaps twice during all the years we've lived here, so this was an exciting change for us. He was rather shy but I managed to get a couple of quick shots.
They're a little bigger than the Hairys at 8.5 inches (21.5 cm)

He fed on the suet, but he liked sunflower seed too.

The robins are back! I saw my first one on March 13th. As I was filling the feeders that morning it flew down from the Maple tree and twittered a happy hello to me. It did this twice more but flew away before I could get my camera :)

We've had some rainy, warmer days, with a mixture of sunshine and clouds, and most of the snow has melted. This afternoon is gloomy and wet....

but,

Spring has finally sprung and we're rejoicing!

Thanks to everyone for your friendly comments on my 3rd wildflower post. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in my passion for those beautiful gifts of nature.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!