The sun was out today,
and the Red-bellied Woodpeckers were very frequent visitors at the food bowls. There are several individuals around but especially this male always sticks out because of the “line” on his forehead (he is in the second and third photo). The female is a beauty as well with her big blue-grey forehead. I love that these guys are hanging around, especially since I do not put suet out (I don’t like how bonkers the Starlings get over it and the woodpeckers always came regardless).
I always find it interesting
how, along with vegetation, the light changes throughout the year, and each season has something special. And while the lushness of summer and spring are wonderful, the cold season also has some pretty aspects. The morning sun gives everything a magical glow while the afternoon sun creates lens flares that make otherwise more boring photos more fun.
The weather
has been interesting, with lots of rain and cooler temps after the hot and dry weeks. I am happy to see the lawn and garden grow, also because I know that all the baby birds that are growing everywhere are getting good nutrition from all the bugs and worms. After a bit of a hiatus the Orioles have returned in full force today, a good sign that their babies are getting bigger and ready to fledge. I loved seeing the very beautiful female Cardinal, the adorable baby Grack, and seeing the return of the most interesting Redbellied Woodpecker (in photo 2). Is it a boy? Is it a girl? The last photo is a regular male. It is the calm before baby birds are flooding the yard. Good times.
November is an odd month in Michigan
because sometimes it can feel like summer still but it can also quickly turn to winter. This year, the trees took their good time to turn, and the backyard looked lovely, all dipped in reds, orange, gold and green. For the calendar, I first looked at the small birds, so the two Chickadees and the Goldfinch were potential choices. But then my eyes fell on the Redbellied Woodpecker lady, and I thought her size, the colors and detail would work a lot better. So that is why she is Miss November. My calendars are on sale this week, you can get yours here. Come good into the weekend!
The pretty Redbellied Woodpecker
is a regular now, and I am still wondering if it is a male or a female. With this species, the females have a greyish forehead, followed by red, the males have an all red forehead and cap. This one kind of has both. I guess in the end it does not matter. It is a beauty to behold, and I always get a kick out of having individual birds that I somehow recognize.
Redbellied Woodpeckers
are one of the year-round residents in my yard, and they are cherished because of their goofy personality and their stunning looks. There appear to be several males around. All are once again beautiful after the molt, and there are some subtle ways I can tell them apart. In these photos, you can see that one has a more pale red spot right above the beak. The other one is all vibrant there. You can also see a bit of the name-giving “red belly”. I have always enjoyed seeing them up close because there is so much going on color-wise, from the red eyes to the blushed cheeks, the differently shaded chest to the black and white back. Another way to tell them apart is to watch them drink. One of them produces a lot of saliva, while the other does not.
The Redbellied Woodpeckers
seem to have more than one youngster. I have noticed a second one that has a stronger marking on the forehead. I decided to call them Canado and Canada because the red patch looks a bit like a Maple leaf. Canado is the one with the larger red patch, and he also has more streaks on the chest. I have no idea though if it is actually a male, time will tell. Canada is in pic 1, Canado in the other two.
The young Red-bellied Woodpecker
appears to have figured out the camera feeder and is taking lots of mug shots, much to my delight because I think it looks beautiful. It is still looking a bit like a black and white copy of it’s parents but there is some red coming in on the forehead. The eyes are still brown instead of the dark red of the adults. This is a very vocal bird too, very entertaining.
Redbellied Woodpeckers
are birds that I see here year-round. I love them for their goofiness and also because they are not feeder-shy. This year, the resident couple has raised one baby, and that baby has now started to come to the cameras too. The male turns into a slobbering mess every summer (he produces a lot of saliva), and molting does not do him any favors either. I think the hole nesting process must be extra hard on him. Did you know that the males actually incubate too with this species? Pretty cool. (male, youngster, female from left to right)
Woodpeckers are regulars here
but in the winter, some of them have made themselves rare. Now, the males are coming out and visit more frequently (apparently they love the sunshine as much as I do). Here are a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Downy Woodpecker. Downy Woodpeckers look very similar to Hairy Woodpeckers, but they are noticeably smaller and have a shorter beak (there are other ID features but these are the most obvious). The Redbellied is named so for his red patch on the belly. There is also a Redheaded Woodpecker, but I only had one one time here. I love Woodpeckers and am happy to have them around.
Redbellied Woodpeckers
are quite easy to tell apart when it comes to male and female. The male has an all red head cap while the female has a greyish forehead followed by red. This one here has been coming every so often, and it has the most interesting look. Now one could go into all kinds of theories but I personally think it is a female with some fancy extra color. Anyways - such a pretty bird!
It's Peanut!
What a fun surprise - I always have at least one Redbellied Woodpecker around, but in the last couple of months it was usually only a female. Today, however, he showed up. Male and female Redbellied Woodpeckers are easy to tell apart - the males have an all-red head cap while the females have a distinct blue-grey forehead. One might think they should be called Redheaded, but there is another majestic woodpecker with that name already. And you can see in this photo where the name comes from.
The kamikaze peeps,
(Goldfinches), continue to fight, and it is always a good opportunity to see some wing action in the photos. Mrs. Redbellied Woodpecker was not amused.
The Christmas snow came two days late,
but the backyard was a beautiful winter wonderland earlier today. I love snow days because they provide a welcome break from the somewhat boring routine that is going on right now. Many birds were visiting, and it was exciting to look out the window. The Blue Jays, Starlings, MoDos and Finches dominated at the feeders, but there were some highlights as well. The Redbellied Woodpecker male with the funky forehead was back, and so was the female. He’s in the first two photos.
It was wings day
at the feeders yesterday, and everybody came to show off.
(Blue Jay, European Starling, American Goldfinch, Redbellied Woodpecker)
I always get a kick
out of the Redbellied Woodpeckers at the cam feeder. They come for the nuts, and sometimes it takes them a bit, but then then they figure out how to cling. With this female, I thought it was cool how her belly feathers bunched up. You can see a bit why they got their name but it’s also kind of cool how vibrant and almost neon they look.
Video: Snow days are fun
because frosty conditions make the birds flock to the feeders. It is of course looking especially pretty when the sun is shining too. All the pretty snow has pretty much melted already but here is a little visitor medley from earlier.
I always like it
when I see bird couples coming to the yard. The Cardinals do it, the Finches, and probably everybody else too but you just can’t tell that good if they look alike. The male Redbellied Woodpecker has made himself rare all year but today he was here. And his lady was there as well. She is the one with the blue-gray forehead.
