I had mentioned that we are putting out feed for the birds right now. (I say ‘we’ because my husband has been kind enough to feed them when they ran out and I wasn’t home.)
We have a little Downy Woodpecker who loves the Suet, and I enjoy watching him. He/she is pretty aggressive and drives off the other birds to get to THEIR feeder. It’s hugely entertaining.
I was sitting at my desk this week with the curtain shut, and I heard both the Downy squawking furiously and the call of an unfamiliar bird.
I cracked the curtain.
And there was a Red-Headed Woodpecker on my feeder! I didn’t have my camera, so I just sat and watched it while I debated on trying to get the camera. I slooooooowly slid my chair back.
And that bird heard it SOMEHOW and fled.
It appeared twice more that day, and even with my camera at my desk, I wasn’t fast enough to get a photo. It has the amazing ability to KNOW when I’ve turned my camera on and flee immediately.
So I called my mother to squee about it, and she was impressed. They’re apparently very shy, and fairly rare in our area. Which, my mother being the Bird Whisperer, she would know.
It’s turned into a week of me sitting very still at my desk on the Internet just listening for the Downy to protest and then whipping out my camera and trying to get a photo.
No luck so far, but it’s been fun!
AND. AND. We drove to my parents early last week, and we saw a Pileated Woodpecker! It crossed the road over us and landed on a tree, so that was exciting too!
Are you enjoying the influx of spring birds? We’ve seen over a dozen robins and are hearing spring bird calls! Do you feed the birds? What is your favorite bird species? Inquiring minds want to know! *smile*
