Subject: [Tweeters] Woodpecker bravery
Date: Nov 5 13:22:19 2007
From: Neens - neens at wavecable.com


I love all my birds, but there's something about my woodpeckers that put them as one of my true favorites!

There's a suet log with six suet plug holes on my porch. My Woodpeckers LOVE this feeder! While I was in Philadelphia last week for a business trip, my guys (and gals) finished off the suet plugs. (I have two pair of Downeys, and two pair of Hairy Woodpeckers, as well as a Hairy youth)

Yesterday, I purchased new plugs to refill the empty spots, and was squeezing that first plug to make it expand to fill the hole snugly when one of the males landed on the opposite side of the feeder. He peeked around the side at me, and gave me his little call, as if to say "HURRY UP!". His beak wasn't 6" from my nose, and I was really shocked! He flew about 8' away, and landed in an alder tree, watched me put in two more plugs, and flew back, lighting on the log feeder, scolding me yet again. After this round, he flew into the yard, and hung on the side of a fir tree, monitoring my progress. ONce I'd completed the job, and turned to leave the porch, I hadn't completed a step before he was on the feeder and chowing like a hungry beast!

I knew they weren't terribly afraid of me, based on previous behavior when filling the big porch feeder. But the close proximity on that hanging log feeder was a new record, albeit startling, it was an immense reward!

nina

Newberry Hill/Seabeck area
Bremerton
neens at wave cable dot com