Hairy Woodpecker
Here’s the next of the “John James Audubon” series of Meet Your Neighbours shots by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser – the Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus). The less common of our backyard black and white woodpeckers, the Hairy Woodpecker is often more elusive despite it being larger than our Downy Woodpecker. They have a larger bill, sometimes described as thorn-like, and feature all white outer rectrices unlike the black barred of the Downys. Photographed for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut while on assignment for The Roger Tory...
Read MoreDowny Woodpecker
As I speculated a few days ago, this is now the time when you will be finding more birds at your feeders – like this Downy Woodpecker. It goes beyond the ground being frozen, ice covering some food sources, or snow blanketing everything. While it is harder to literally feed, it is also much colder now, and the birds need many more calories in order to survive. A lot of people were inquiring about why their feeders were so quiet towards the end of 2015, and I think it was certainly related to the fact that we had some days with temperatures in the 60s and 70s across the region and...
Read MoreDowny Woodpecker
This is not where you typically spot your Downy Woodpeckers! Usually we see them living up to their names and bills on trees or even on suet at home feeders. However, this has been such a terrific year for natural food that I have spotted plenty of them on the ground enjoying various acorns, nuts and other seeds. This cute fella looked happy with such a deep menu to select from on a warm afternoon. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreWoodpeckers of Newfoundland
Here’s a Throwback Thursday of a different sort – five woodpeckers from the Birds of Newfoundland by Roger Tory Peterson. Can you identify them all? Clockwise from the top we have the Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Black-backed Woodpecker. If you are fortunate enough to have a yard where you can see them all that would be extremely impressive!
Read MoreDowny Woodpecker Peeking
Hey there, Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens). Way to hang out on a Monday morning. What extravagant or odd friends did all of you see this past weekend during Christmas Bird Counts? In your yard? While out shopping for the holidays? That’s the beauty of birds – they’re everywhere!
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