Neat!! Can see his pretty red belly! Yep, looks like you need to fill em up. ;o)

I have photo documented over 100 species of birds in our yard, but without question, the woodpeckers, and especially the Red Bellied woodpeckers are my favorites. Judging by minor differences in their markings I have to date been able to positively identify 9 separate Red BellyÂs that frequent my feeders. (5 males & 4 females) although I suspect there are more. On one occasion I counted 7 Red Bellies all present at the same time.

From my observations I have deduced that the Red Bellies are really very congenial to the other birds as is evidenced this picture of a Red Belly on the feeder with a couple sparrows;

However, without question, there is no love loss between Red Bellies and European Starlings. In the next two photos you can see both a male and a female Red Belly squaring off with starlings at the suet feeder;

In this shot you can clearly see the Red Belly from which they get their names: (note-the white specks in the photo are not defects, the shot was taken during a heavy snow storm)

Note how the woodpeckers use their tails for balance. According to the information in my bird book they are so dependant upon those tail feathers for balance when perched on a tree that when molting the new feather is completely grown in before the old feather is lost.

What I find most amazing about woodpeckers is how they can maintain flight attitude control with such a small tail in proportion to their body size and wingspan as you can see from this Red Belly in flight;

The following photo is a Red Belly on a Maple Tree limb. You can clearly see the new leaf buds on the Maple Tree. I liked this photo so much that I have selected it as my Springtime Desk Top wallpaper.

I love these pictures! I am fascinated with woodpeckers. I have a pair of red bellies and downys that visit my feeders. I saw a pileated back in the trees the other day. The first one in my whole life and I'm 30. I was very excited. Will the pileateds visit the feeders?

Amazing shots of the Red-bellied Woodpecker!! Thanks for sharing!

I have Red Bellies, Downies and Hairy's that frequent both my suet feeder and seed feeders daily.

I have seen a couple Red Headed woodpeckers and a Pileated in the woods nearby but they don't frequent the feeders for some reason.

From my experience the Pileated Wookpecker is extremely man shy. I did see the Pileated at my suet feeder once, but as luck would have it I had my camera set up with a 1250mm lens shooting pictures of some deer out in the meadow and the minimum focus of that lens is 150ft so I could not get a picture of the woodpecker at the feeder a mere 60ft away.