Male Downy Woodpecker gets first dibs on fresh block of suet. This handsome fellow may be one of the fledglings from earlier in the summer. Downy Woodpeckers will come to suet feeders all summer - just have to put them away at night if you live in bear country or the Raccoons zero in on the suet..
Male Downy Woodpecker enjoys some ripe Loquats - a bird that doesn't sit still much - its always on the move working the trees. Heard more than seen around these parts, especially outside of breeding season. The Loquats are a pretty evergreen tree and a bit messy, but one can't deny their appeal to birds! A nice Downy Woodpecker call can be heard at:
Filmed a male Downy Woodpecker on February 24th in the backyard on a Chinese Tallow Tree. A long-range 800 mm hand held video of the littlest of woodpeckers that rarely stands still. Always a tough bird to capture on video. Back on January 25th I filmed a female Downy Woodpecker on the same tree:
They are likely mates and I have been hearing a lot of Downy calls the past few days in the dense foliage of the Oak and Loquat trees. In fact, the woodpeckers have been feasting on the ripening Loquat fruit. With any luck they will build a nest nearby this spring. This is the first year I can remember the Downy's being so active. The warm winter weather has brought a bumper crop of late winter fruit - that will keep them and many of the other fruit eaters hanging out in the backyard.
