Woodpeckers in Spring

I often take my seed feeders down during the spring and summer months, primarily because a break disperses finch species and helps prevent the spread of finch disease, but also because I have limited space for both storage and feeding.   My focus generally turns to hummingbirds as they arrive in mid-April.

Hummer and Downy                           Watercolor by Vickie Henderson

This year, I took down the seed feeders but left up suet and nut feeders for woodpeckers and other nut-loving birds, and I have been generously rewarded with many fun observations. I noticed yesterday that my neighborhood downies are still coming to the hummingbird nectar to drink!

Male Downy Woodpecker feeding juvenile             Photo credit:  Vickie Henderson

Downy Woodpeckers are now being followed to the feeder by fluffy young and I am hoping that the Red-bellied pair and the Hairy Woodpecker pair will soon be showing up with their young tagging along, too.  Wouldn't that be a treat--to see a Hairy juvenile!  

Male Downy, above, with juvenile below.          Photo credit: Vickie Henderson

I have had Hairy Woodpeckers come to the winter feeders in the past, but have never spotted them in the breeding season until now. Like our other backyard woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers don't migrate but stay near their territories throughout the year. Until now, it was unknown to me if the male Hairy I was seeing actually had a mate and was nesting in the area. Two days ago, I spotted a female at the feeder!

In the image below, you can see the enormous size of the Hairy's bill, approximately the same length as the width of his head.  He also has the distinctive comma mark that extends to his breast and no lateral stripes on his tail.  To recognize him, you also have to keep in mind his size--closer to the red-belly's size than the size of a downy.

Hairy Woodpecker                                   Photo credit:  Vickie Henderson

Even though the frequency of my blog posts has slowed recently, I will certainly post a picture of a Hairy juvenile if I am fortunate enough to see one!

My time and energy is currently concentrated on my book project which has a nearing deadline.  The book is focused on birds, of course!  My observations of birds, bits of life history for each highlighted species, and stories and history about each bird from the pioneer ornithologists that first discovered and recorded bird species in Tennessee are all included in the book. The Tennessee Ornithological Society, the care-taker and creator of Tennessee's bird history, is celebrating 100 years of bird study and enjoyment this year, making it the oldest conservation organization in Tennessee.

The book will be printed in full-color so I can generously illustrate it with my own watercolors along with many historic illustrations and photographs.

Hairy Woodpecker                                   Photo credit:  Vickie Henderson

If you haven't already subscribed to this blog, you will find the email subscription form at the top of the right-hand sidebar.  Once done, the next blog post will be delivered to you by email.  This is a great way to be alerted to a new blog post and to keep up-to-date on the book's progress!

Detail, Northern Ficker in Snow, watercolor in progress by Vickie Henderson

Links and Resources:

Sketch Book--Red-shouldered Hawk Territory
Discover Birds Activity Book
Discover Birds Blog
Watercolors of Birds
Detail of "Hummer and Downy"