Woodpeckers and a Chickadee!

[CrazyforCockatiels]

-A red-bellied woodpecker


-A red-headed woodpecker


-A chickadee

Hope you enjoy. These pics were taken through our kitchen windows as unless I sit motionless for a while with the camera on a tripod outside on our deck, I can't get nice outdoor shots of them. Once spring gets here (It's here in name only!), I'll do this!

[Peregrine Harlequin]

Nice pics! It's just like looking out the back window. Every winter we get an assortment of woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees. I don't know how the neighbors feel about our big, old trees, but I know the birds love them.

And I was waiting to see if someone else caught it, but that second specimen isn't labelled correctly. It's a great pic, but it's not a red-headed woodpecker. I'd guess that it's a hairy, but I'm far from a woodpecker expert.

[BobbieSD]

Here is my blue jay Jack. He comes every Sunday morning and cries until I give him peanuts. The other photo is merely taking cover from a snow storm.

[CrazyforCockatiels]

Peregrine Harlequin~ Thanks! You're absolutely right; I mislabeled the photo and it is a downy woodpecker! Don't know what I was thinking! I'm not a woodpecker expert, either. I had to consult my Birds of New York book. Thank you for the correction!

BobbieSD~ I love your photos! What kind of bird is the other little one who is taking cover from a storm? He/she is a real cutie! That's amazing that Jack is on a schedule! What a smart blue jay! Thanks so much for sharing!

[Star]

We used to have those silly buggers out are feeders, of course, he scared all the tiny birds like chickadees, finches, sparrows, etc. away. But due to a recent killing spree with a red-tailed hawk bird have been staying away and I haven't located the woodpecker in weeks.

[CrazyforCockatiels]

Star~ We're in the same geographical vicinity so maybe you know what kind of bird was at our feeder yesterday. Did not get a photo but he was all black with a band of color on his wing. I think it might be a red-winged blackbird but the color wasn't as vibrant as depicted in the identifying photo in the bird book.

[winkiebird]

CrazyforCockatiels, was the black bird you saw making any noise & did it have a yellowy kind of stripe? If the bird was making noise could you describe it?
Also, the colors in the bird books are sometimes a bit misleading.

[CrazyforCockatiels]

Hi, Winkiebird. The black bird had what I would describe as an orange-ish yellow stripe near the wing. I didn't hear any song or chirping from it. It appeared on the ground (deck) near where bird seed is scattered owing to the hanging feeders. Any ideas?

[Peregrine Harlequin]

I know the young red-winged blackbirds have orange instead of bright red on their wings. The immatures almost look like sparrows, so I guess the "orange-winged" ones are technically first year birds? I remember being fooled several years ago by a bunch of blackbirds with brownish-orange bars on their wings. Once I got back to the field guide in the car, all my hopes of seeing some weird new bird were dashed.

Oh, and that bird hunkered down in the snow is a dark-eyed junco, the "slate-colored" variety. They finally left here about 2 weeks ago after being around all winter.

Star, are you sure the recent killing spree is because of a red-tail? Because I can think of some other birds that are more likely to be eating the feeder fodder. Not that red-tails won't eat birds, but sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks usually keep tabs on our birdie buffet...

[CrazyforCockatiels]

Peregrine Harlequin~ I'll bet you the bird was a red-winged blackbird as it was small-ish and it is spring so... Thank you for the information. Also, that little junco is spectacularly cute. We had juncos here, a while back, I believe. Also, this morning, we saw a huge crow. We put out corn for the squirrels, who still insist on eating from the bird feeder, and I think the crow was interested in the corn.

Speaking of squirrels, does anyone have any ideas on how to keep the squirrels well fed and happy so they don't go to the feeders? The birds are waiting in the bushes (waiting in the wings- sorry- couldn't resist!) by the feeder, even when I walk out there to get the squirrel off of the feeders; they're hungry!