Georgia Backyard Nature

Wayward Woodpeckers

It’s cold on this holiday, but the birds and animals still have to find food. I was feeling charitable before Christmas and bought a food cake for the squirrels. I noticed that something had been nibbling on it but I never saw a squirrel there. And squirrels aren’t nibblers; those voracious pests would destroy the feeder and devour the cake at one sitting. It was a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Downy Woodpecker that had been enjoying a new treat. I love the irony—squirrels usually steal the bird’s food now wayward woodpeckers are stealing their food. Don’t you just love nature? Happy New Year from the birds and creatures of Georgia Backyard Nature!

 

Returning Red-headed Woodpeckers

You're not seeing double--it's a rare treat to see two Red-headed Woodpeckers at the peanut feeder. Did you know that these colorful birds are one of the few woodpeckers that store food? They create caches of nuts and insects in cracks and crevices. Red-headed Woodpeckers were absent from the yard for a few years, but hopefully they're back now.

Rejoicing for Red-headed Woodpeckers

What a great day!!  Today was my first sighting of a Red-headed woodpecker in several years.  Two families used to visit my bird feeders—they love peanuts and hulled sunflower seed, but they left one fall and never returned. I’d almost given up hope of ever seeing them in the backyard again but this one landed on the hulled sunflower feeder a few minutes ago.

Red-headed woodpeckers have distinctive markings—a scarlet head, black back and wings, and snowy white underbelly.  They are cavity nesters and favor dead trees and branches.  The female lays 4-7 eggs and both the male and female incubate them for about two weeks. 

Red-heads aggressively defend their territory and are the most omnivorous woodpecker.  They eat seeds, nuts, fruit, insects, nestlings, bird eggs, and mice.  They can catch insects on the wing like flycatchers. 

It’s too bad that the Red-headed woodpecker population has declined in recent years and these beautiful birds are now considered near-threatened.  I hope whatever caused them to leave the lake
has been fixed because I sure missed the Red-heads.

Ravenous Red Bellied Woodpecker

 

 

 

The red-bellied woodpecker usually visits the peanut feeder but here’s a video of him really enjoying the mixed seed feeder.  Red-bellies share many of the characteristics of their other woodpecker cousins. They shimmy up and down trees looking for insects like beetles and ants. With a tongue that sticks out two inches from the end of the bill, getting insects from deep crevices isn’t a problem and neither is this birdfeeder. Their diet also includes grasshoppers, fruit, nuts, and seeds. Red-bellied woodpeckers cache food in tree and fencepost cracks for later use. 

 

Red-bellies can be aggressive and often chase other birds from feeders, but as you can see, even darting redbirds didn’t keep this guy from a good meal.

Dapper Downy Video

Yesterday afternoon I spotted a Downy woodpecker flitting in an out of a winter roost box. I have no idea what he was doing, but he may have found a few ants or spiders. Maybe not,  though. As you can see at the end of the video, he headed straight for the peanut feeder.

 

 

Check out http://www.georgiabackyardnature.com/georgia_backyard_nature/2009/10/dapper-downy.html  for the original post on Downy woodpeckers.

Rambunctious Red-bellied Woodpeckers

Another frequent visitor to the peanut feeder is the red-bellied woodpecker.  This medium sized bird has a distinctive black and white barred back, a red head, and a pale, reddish chest.  They are found in forests throughout the eastern U.S.

 

Red-bellies share many of the characteristics of their other woodpecker cousins. They shimmy up and down trees looking for insects like beetles and ants. With a tongue that sticks out two inches from the end of the bill, getting insects from deep crevices isn’t a problem. Their diet also includes grasshoppers, fruit, nuts, and seeds. The one in the picture checking out the bird house is most likely looking for a few tasty ants. Red-bellied woodpeckers cache food in tree and fencepost cracks for later use.  

 

 

 

In the springtime, I’m often startled by the horrible sound of one drumming on the chimney cap. It’s loud! But he’s just making noise to attract a mate. They also drum on gutters, houses, and hollow trees.

 

Like other woodpeckers, they are cavity nesters.  Both the male and female a excavate nest in a dead tree or limb. Between two and six eggs are laid on a bed of wood shavings and incubated for twelve days. The young remain in the nest for three to four weeks.

 

Red-bellies can be aggressive and often chase other birds from feeders, but I still enjoy seeing that jaunty red head at the peanut feeder. I sure do wish they wouldn’t use my chimney cap as a dating service, though!!

Dapper Downy

Even though the red headed woodpeckers have departed for points South, there are still woodpeckers around. Yesterday I noticed a downy woodpecker checking out one of the bird houses, probably looking for insects. A few minutes later a much larger red bellied woodpecker chased her off.  The downy just swooped over to the bird feeder and nabbed a peanut.

 

The downy woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in North America, not much bigger than a sparrow. It has a white stomach and back. The wings are black with white spots. The male has a distinctive red spot on his head.

 

Found in open deciduous woodlands and backyards, the downy has the classic woodpecker shape with a sharp bill and wide shoulders tapering to a narrow tail. They cling to trees and branches looking for insects, which make up most of their diet. Downy woodpeckers eat lots of pests such as ants, beetles, tent caterpillars and apple borers. About a quarter of their diet consists of seeds and berries so they’re often seen at birdfeeders.

 

The downy is a cavity nester. Both the male and female excavate the nest in a dead tree or a dead branch, a task that can take 1-3 weeks. The female lays 3-8 eggs and incubates them about 12 days. The young are completely naked when hatched and remain in the nest for up to 18 days.

 

When the leaves drop, it’ll be much easier to see the downy scurrying up and down the sycamore tree foraging for his dinner. But as the bugs get scarcer, I’m happy that he’ll still have a full stomach thanks to that peanut feeder!

 

 

Returning Red-Heads!!

What a great day!!  Today was my first sighting of the red-headed woodpecker.  These striking tri-color birds have returned from wintering further south.  They typically leave in September and return in the spring.

 

Red-headed woodpeckers have distinctive markings—a scarlet head, black back and wings, and snowy white underbelly.  They are cavity nesters and favor dead trees and branches.  The female lays 4-7 eggs and both the male and female incubate them for about two weeks. Interestingly, when Dutch elm disease and chestnut blight killed large stands of trees, it actually benefitted these birds by providing more nesting areas. 

 

 

Red-heads aggressively defend their territory and are the most omnivorous woodpecker.  They eat seeds, nuts, fruit, insects, nestlings, bird eggs, and mice.  They can catch insects on the wing like flycatchers.  Several visit my birdfeeders—they love peanuts and hulled sunflower seed.  Red-heads are only one of four woodpeckers that store food, but it’s the only one to cover their cache, usually with bark or wood.  They store grasshoppers alive, but wedge them into cracks so tightly, they can’t escape.

 

 Sadly, the red-headed woodpecker population has been declining in recent years and they are now considered near-threatened.  I’m glad they’ve found hospitable conditions near the lake—I’d like to see lots more of these flashy feathered friends around!!

 

Click on the picture for a better view!!