Woodpecker season #phenology

Starting about this time of year, we begin to see more woodpeckers of more kinds at the feeders, especially at the suet. It took a downy woodpecker, like the one in the picture below, less than 24 hours to show up at the suet feeder this year. A red-bellied woodpecker continues to use the sunflower seed feeder more than the suet. When, if at all, a pileated will arrive this Winter remains to be seen.

downy woodpecker on baluster

Photo by J. Harrington

If you've never watched a blue jay at a bird bath, the way they tip back their heads to swallow makes them look more like they're gargling a sore throat than drinking water. Chickadees are much more dainty in their drinking. We've had blue jays other Winters, but this year we seem to have had a noticeable increase in the local population.

pileated woodpecker on suet

Photo by J. Harrington

Nuthatches and chickadees are helping themselves to suet and seeds and water. The rest of the property is comparatively quiet. It's been quite some time since we've noticed any turkeys wandering about. We startled a whitetail doe out of the middle of the road the other night. She was concentrating on something, a buck?, in a direction opposite the one from which we were approaching in the jeep. Suddenly, a startled whitetail looked in our direction and scampered up the hill into the trees. We've learned to drive at less than our normal speed at this time of year, especially around sunset and early evening.

Not that we're counting, but there are now 114 days until the start of Meteorological Spring and 133 days until Astronomical Spring.

Woodpecker

by Ted Hughes

Woodpecker is rubber-necked
But has a nose of steel.
He bangs his head against the wall
And cannot even feel.
When Woodpecker’s jack-hammer head
Starts up its dreadful din
Knocking the dead bough double dead
How do his eyes stay in?
Pity the poor dead oak that cries
In terrors and in pains.
But pity more Woodpecker’s eyes
And bouncing rubber brains.
[from Under the North Star, 1981]

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