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Our morning visitor

16 years ago

DH saw this guy at the suet feeder this morning. All he could see of it at first were some tail feathers because he was on the other side of the feeder at first so he thought it was a Blue Jay. Always knew he was color blind! LOL. I think this is a Downy Woodpecker. He has always been at the far feeder and never came close enough that I could get a pic but here he is. He stayed for quite a while even after eating. I think the two of them look cute together don't you?

{{!gwi}}

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Comments (7)

pazfam
16 years ago
I could be wrong but based on the size relative to the chickadee I think it's a Hairy Woodpecker. Nice shot.
donald lucius
16 years ago
i can't see enough of the bill in this picture but one of the main differences between downey and hairy is the downey's bill is short about 1/2 as long as the hairy,
the other big difference is the male downey is 5 to 6 inches long and the hairy 8 to 9 inches long
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Good morning, Kimball Welcome to the party. The egret and a blue heron patrol my pond fairly regularly and thin the bullfrog population. Too bad for the frogs, but they would overran the pond and the frogs would eat al the fishes, so it's a balance.
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Beth, I am lying here in bed on this lovely sunny morning wishing I could be outside, and "miserable as all get out!" with a horrid cold. What a joy it is to see this thread and smile as I look through your photos. :) I live in a semi-rural area, and the folks on the next block over have 55 of these critters that roam these quiet streets. I really enjoy watching them walk by. :D When folks who haven't seen them before are amazed and remark on the TURKEYS, I always say . . . . "Perhaps they are lookin' for you." Or ask them, "Friends of yours?" hehe Thanks for brightening an otherwise miserable day!! Debbie
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Hi Sharon, I'm a bit lazy with the camera, I like one that's simple, fairly small and has at least a 15X zoom. I'm using a Panasonic DMC-FZ28, it's three years old now and given how quickly technology advances I'm sure someone can recommend a better camera in the $250-300 range, but this one serves my purpose and as I get older I'm not in such a hurry to chase the latest advances :-) Tom
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Thats a nice ulcer, koi often get them, antibiotic injections are a bit harsh for that, there are several liquid remedies on the market and a lot less dangerous, if you are not experienced or careful with a needle you might do more harm than good!!! personaly, i would pop her in a large bucket with two gallons of water a and 1.5 onces of salt with and air stone for 20 minutes (dont leave her alone tho) if she shows signs of going to sleep wip her out and put her in the pond, but leave her as long as possible upto 20 mins, have a small bowl with a cup of water and as much salt in as you can get in it, deslove it, when she has done her 20 minutes in the salt water dab a small clean cloth in the bowl and pop it straight onto the wound for 30 seconds, put her back in the pond, that might be enough, you might need to repeat it in few days tho, but you will see an improvement the next day or two. I have treated a dozen koi like this, large and small, never needed more than two doses in the bucket, often one is enough, an injection in the wrong place will be fatal and painful for the koi, this method is only fatal if you over dose the salt and leave it in to long! but there are ulcer treatments too, cost a packet and some are used in the same way others you have to apply manualy with the fish out of water, and it can take a while and stress the fish more.
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OHbluebird
16 years ago
Great picture!
marricgardens
Original Author
16 years ago
The woodpecker stayed on that side of the log and I couldn't get a clearer picture. I'm hoping it will be back tomorrow and I'll get a better picture of the bill. Thanks for the info about the hairy. I looked it up and they do look very much alike. Marg
chickadeemelrose
16 years ago
What a great photo captured! And also a terrific feeder,
great setup. I am hoping to put together a suet log and your photo is a great example.

One thing I do remember about the hairy woodpecker is that its bill is close to the length of its head, where the downey's is smaller relative to its head size. That would make me think your woodpecker is a hairy.

Thanks again for sharing -
marricgardens
Original Author
16 years ago
Well, he/she came back this morniong. He stayed for quite a while and didn't even get nerous when he saw me at the window taking pics! From the look of his bill, I beleive that this is a Hairy Woodpecker. Marg

Here's a larger pic. Sorry, it's not the best.
orrin_h
16 years ago
In these photos you can see the unmarked white outer tail feathers, a clincher for Hairy Woodpecker. Downy would have black barring here.

-O-

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