Downy Woodpecker Gets a Makover

JANUARY, 25, 2009 JANUARY 25, 2009

January 25, 2009


November, 2008

Some of you may remember this picture I took of the downy in my yard. I was frustrated and frankly embarrassed by my lack of photography skills. A lot of you gave me tips and encouraged me to keep practicing and I did. Photography was something I dreaded. I was never any good at it even before birding. When people used to ask me to take their photo, I would tell them to find someone else because I would certainly mess up the photo.

Not anymore, now I love how the camera feels in my hands. I love the fact that I can capture the beauty of nature and wild life if only for a brief second. Another gift the birds have given me.

One interesting bit of information on the Downy's. The male in the pictures above loves my suet that I make for him and the others. The female on the other hand will only eat the raw, unprocessed suet I offer. In fact, she didn't even start visiting my yard until I stared putting out both varieties. Different strokes for different folks even for birds I guess.

And speaking of woodpeckers, I posted a week ago about a sound of a bird that I had never heard before. I stated that it sounded as if it were saying hawk and did it in approx. 10 repetitions and had the pitch of a monkey. Deborah over at Notes from the Cloud Messenger thought that it may be a nut hatch. I listened to the clip over at Cornell and it may very well be a nut hatch. I then found a sound clip of a pileated wood pecker over at The Aspetuck Land Trust Blog which sounded even more similar to the call. Thanks Christopher
for all of your informative woodpecker links.

What is most exciting about this is that I have two birds I have to see this year (besides the various warblers of course), and that is the bald eagle and the pileated woodpecker. If there is one across the street from my house I will be in heaven! I am going to go over there the next decent morning we have as that is when I heard it last. I was over there both today and yesterday and didn't hear it so I am thinking it lays low during the cold weather. For all I know it is indeed a nuthatch, but half the fun is finding out for yourself.