Baby, it's cold outside.

Downy Woodpecker


Mute Swan

Downy Woodpeckers

Female Downy Woodpecker


Male Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker Taking a Bath

Here's another bird that appreciates our new waterfall.  We don't often see the woodpeckers at the bird baths, so we're not sure if he will make a repeat visit.  He was funny to watch and seemed a little out of his element, so it may have been an accidental visit.  We even wondered for a few minutes while we watched if we were going to have to scoop him out, but he got acclimated and even stood up in the little crevice and clung on the wall before taking off.

Meadowlands birds

Egret

Downy Woodpecker

Juvenile Mute Swan

Ruddy Duck Family

We went to the NJMC Environmental Center in Lyndhurst, NJ on Sunday AM. We are a little early for many of the migrating birds, but we did take a few photos. The highlight was the baby ruddy ducks. It's not a great photo, but they are very small and stayed by the small island away from people. They were so cute diving underwater.

The juvenile mute swan is showing off its foot. We have a bit of a debate whether this is a deformity because the foot seems too high on the back and it didn't ever seem to put it in the water.

Downy at the new feeder

 

The woodpeckers don't mind hanging upside down to eat suet, but the grackles do.

Common Backyard Birds in New Jersey in the Spring

 

The Pine Siskin is supposed to be here only for the winter. Their range is extending and they may stay. I hope they let the goldfinches have a turn at the thistle feeder.

 

One female and two male cardinals have been frequenting this feeder. There appears to be quite a competition for her attention by the males.

Male Northern Cardinal

Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouse and Northern Cardinal

House Finch and Tufted Titmouse

Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

 

 

Fun Woopecker facts:

• Woodpeckers have a third eyelid to help protect their eyes from debris.
  
• A woodpecker's head can strike at speeds up to 15 mpg at over 100 strokes per minute.
  
• The bones between the beak and the skull are joined by a flexible cartilage.
  
• The skull is made of spongy, air-filled bone. The brain is packed tightly into the brain cavity, with little room to rattle around.
  
• The force from each strike is directed towards neck muscles that act as shock absorbers.
  

More Winter Birds: Pine Siskin, Downy Woodpecker, & American Goldfinch

 

 

 

We've been taking the great backyard bird count seriously this year.

Downy Woodpecker hiding a seed

Taking a cue from the nuthatch, this downy woodpecker is hiding a seed. Come to think of it, storing your savings in a hole in a tree may be safer than Bank of America.

Woodpeckers

Downy Woodpecker

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Inflatable Woodpecker

 

 

This downy was cleaning himself while hanging on to the side of the tree.

Today at the feeder

We noticed quite a bit of bird activity this morning. Juncos arrived, followed by a brown creeper. Then all of our friends came to the feeder. The first four photos were taken through the window. Then, Mike, the geek, set up the tripod and the infrared remote for the camera and captured the red-bellied woodpecker (love his hair) and the rest of the gang.

Female Downy Woodpecker at Suet Feeder

Mike photographed a female downy woodpecker at the suet feeder this morning. If you look closely, you can see its tongue. The Hilton Pond website in South Carolina contains more info on the the amazing woodpecker tongue and pictures too (see below). Did you know that the woodpecker tongue is barbed and that the flicker's tongue is 5 inches long?

Please don't try this at home.

Downy Woodpecker

Two downy woodpeckers

Here is a photo of two downy woodpeckers at the feeder. We think the one on the top with the red head is a juvenile male and the lower one its mother. We've been watching this pair, sometimes joined by a third male woodpecker, for about a week. The female occasionally feeds the male and he doesn't fly very well so we think he's a juvenile.

Downy Woodpecker Video

This woodpecker let me use the flash and didn't fly away. The pictures are high quality so you can click on them to see every feather. We probably have posted enough downy woodpecker pictures, so we've moved on to videos. See Downy Woodpecker Video (Quicktime)

Two Downy Woodpeckers at the suet feeder

Downy Woodpecker

A female downy woodpecker advertising the "Birds Choice" suet feeder. If you want to attract woodpeckers, you should get a suet feeder with a tail prop. To complete the ad, we got ours at Wild Bird Country 1199 Amboy Avenue, Edison, NJ 08837-2552 Phone: (732) 549-5250. Say "hi" to Colleen while you are there.

A Female Downy Woodpecker

A Downy Woodpecker