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Haven’t Seen You In A While
December 15, 2025 Glad you’re back, little one! A Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) finally showed up today. I haven’t been putting out anything for my friends, the birds lately. Many days ago I put out some beef suet, and I’ve been waiting. Some hulled sunflower seeds were scattered on the ground too. Finally, this morning…
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It Is Time For PINK!
April 1, 2025 A Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) sitting amongst pink blooms of an Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis). The buds as well as the flowers are a valuable source of nutrition. Downy Woodpeckers, along with many songbirds including Cedar Waxwings, Chickadees, Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, Juncos, and others, eat these buds and flowers. Exquisite flowers making clouds…
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Thank You For The Pose Downy!
March 7, 2025 Looking like it is taking a pose at an awards ceremony, a Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) sits in a Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida). It’s waiting for a turn at the suet feeders where it competes with Red-bellied Woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus), Tufted Titmice (Baeolophus bicolor), and Chickadees (Poecile). Sometimes I see as many…
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Strong Tail Feathers
February 22, 2025 Woodpeckers’ robust tails help them as the descend a tree trunk or work at drumming a hole into the side of a tree. They have stronger tail bones, lower back bones, and muscles that support those bones than other birds. Here, a Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) in the snow a couple days…