The Travels of Tug 44 |
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Downy Woodpecker |
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The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest of the North American woodpeckers. The suet feeder has about a 1 inch grid, so we know he's tiny. This one is a male, as indicated by the cute little red hat he wears. high-res
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Here he tilts his head so we can get a better look at his red hat. Don't you love it when critters cooperate? :). high-res
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Most birds have an inner eyelid called a "nicitating membrane". Woodpeckers often half-close that inner eyelid, which closes from front to back ... and it protects their eyes from flying wood chips and debris as they hammer trees, or as in this case ... my suet feeder. high-res
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This is a female Downy Woodpecker, she looks just like the male but she doesn't have the red hat. She's pounding away at the block of suet, which is not much different from the grubs and beetle larvae they normally feed on. Suet is hardened beef grease, in this case mixed with ground up grasshoppers. Yumm! high-res
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She's a bit unsteady on the feeder on this windy day, so a bit of wing flapping helps her hang on. All those little white squares on her feathers look like a confetti explosion when she takes off ... a nice survival value if she is attacked by a hawk. high-res
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Meet the family! On the left is an immature Downy Woodpecker, his red "hat" feathers are just starting to grow in. On the right is a female, perhaps his Mom. She's waiting her turn on the suet feeder. high-res
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July 2018 - Here we have a newly-fledged female Downy Woodpecker chick (right) being fed by her father (left). She has been flying only a few days but while she could feed herself, she prefers that Daddy helps her. :) high-res |
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