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 am fairly new to birdwatching, but found it goes hand in hand with my obsessive gardening. i have a couple of simple suet feeders attached to a small oak tree about fifteen feet from my patio window and to date, i have a downy woodpecker,a pair of northern flickers and a pair of pileated woodpeckers. there is a rotting telephone pole along the road directly in front of my patio which i can see perfectly from my chair with binoculars. i see them all on it at some point during any given day. i think the flickers are nesting in there. i was sitting out having my morning coffee a few weeks ago when this huge black bird came to my suet feeder. at first i thought it was a pesky crow,and i was about to chase it off, but then i saw the white and red head and sat back down. i couldn't believe it;(i nearly soiled myself lol) right in front of me! now i see them frequently- they love suet. you cannot miss them if you use your ears; they have the loudest cackle around.

Hi ribs1, It's a gazebo style feeder, made of metal or aluminum most-likely that I bought at Menards. I feed strictly hulled sunflower seeds, albeit they are very expensive, but there is no waste whatsoever. I also have a suet feeder underneath and about 5' away from it, that I built, and holds two blocks. So far the Red-headed haven't ventured to it, but I bet they will, given enough time. Dax

the block cage is the one for the molded woodpecker blocks the other are the square suet cages. When i make my mix i use some peanut butter and thicken the suet mix with cornmeal or rolled oats and mixed bird seed and when the fats harden up enough to spoon into the metal cage and i press it down to fill the block. and if it's not hardened enough i stick it in the freezer for awhile before i put it out. the others i use sorghum or molasses and peanut butter in summer instead of fats and they are gummy enough to hold together too. but i also used the plastic trays from old suet blocks or the halfs of the plastic trays that raspbpberrys or blackberrys come in and put them in the suet cages if the mix is not thick or gummy enough