Woody Woodpecker

Okay, so it's not a Pileated Woodpecker, though we do see them in our yard occasionally. Still, we've had at least a couple of different woodpeckers at the feeders. Mostly we see one banging away at the suet (like here), though occasionally there's one on the seed feeder. I've tried several times to take a photo, but it's been difficult as they don't stick around for long.
(22 Feb) UPDATE: Original photo replaced with a better one taken today.


Norman is getting really good at naming the birds at the feeder. Since our previous list we've identified a few more with the help of my Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds. I believe we've had both a Downy and a Hairy Woodpecker, though it's hard to tell since the only real difference is the size. We've definitely had more than one since I've seen both a male and a female. We missed the Juncos in our last listing since they mostly hop around on the ground under the feeder. At first it was just the "Slate-Colored" Juncos, but yesterday we noticed a different bird on the ground. At first I thought it was a robin since it had a reddish breast, but it had the white outer tail feathers of the other juncos. Consulting the guide, I believe it was an "Oregon" Junco. Apparently the two are now regarded as the same species and referred to as simply the Northern Junco. As you can tell, we're having fun both watching and learning about the birds.

I've added a list to the sidebar called "at the feeder" where I'm keeping a list of all the birds we've seen and identified at the feeders in our backyard.

(20 Feb) UPDATE: This morning I was drinking my tea and watching the feeder when a woodpecker landed on the suet feeder. It looked different to me, more red on the head, cap-like rather than just a patch. And no black on the face, just white, and a white body too. Then it turned and I saw black on the wings. I grabbed my bird book and turned to the pages of woodpeckers. And there it was, the red-bellied woodpecker. Not sure why it's called red-bellied as its belly is most certainly white, but it's a beautiful bird nonetheless. We hear woodpeckers in the yard and catch a glimpse of their red heads in the trees from time to time, but I never realized just how many different woodpeckers frequent our yard/woods. They really like the suet feeder.