Took this picure today, October 18, 2005, at noon CDT. It is a Male Downy Woodpecker. This particular Downy is a FREQUENT visitor to my Peanut Suet Feeder. He has some of the sharpest and brightest colors I have ever seen on a Downy Woodpecker. My wife and I call him, Mr. Crisp for that reason. I know almost 200 species of birds by sight AND sound but woodpeckers are ALWAYS my favorite birds to look at and I never tire of taking pictures of them.

Downy Woodpecker (Male)(Mr. Crisp)

Thornius...I have those guys, too. They LOVE my suet feeders!
Your tree looks like mine! I have 3 suet feeders I keep filled up all the time. The woodpeckers crack me up the way they hang on them...
I make my own suet cakes...sure saves a lot of money!
My freezer is full of them...stocking up for winter...when I usually put out 6 to 8 a day.

I have some spoiled birds!

It's so nice to know someone else who takes such good care of our feathered friends. Thank you.


Cindy Faye

cool

Very nice picture..I like woodpeckers also, don't know much about them though. I do live near where the ivory bill woodpecker has been sited, I haven't seen one yet, but they are along the White River and I don't like boats or water, so I doubt I will get to see one.

My grandfather, who lived in the backwater bayous near Baton Rouge, La., used to fascinate me with tales of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. I was so THRILLED to learn they are not extinct, even if I never get to see one. I live in Nashville, TN., relatively close to the White River, so I MIGHT be able to see one someday.

I never knew woodpeckers would go for the suet. That is great news as the woods behind my home are loaded. I saw two small ones this spring feeding around a rock wall and thought that was interesting. I try to wait until snow to feed the birds because I dont want to invite trouble (bears)but the suet block sounds do-able. Is there a particular type, are they messy and what other birds will be attracted?

BF, I like to use peanut based suet. I buy mine in the pet food aisle of our local Grocery store chain, Krogers. The feeder costs about $2-$3 and the suet is on sale now, 3 blocks for $2. Walmart also carries the feeders and suet but I am not sure the prices of theirs. They are a little messy, but not very bad. Suet is primarily lard, bird seed, cracked corn and in this case peanut butter, all mixed together and then pressed into molds to form cakes. Suet will attract Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Wrens, Kinglets, and also Chickadees, Cardinals, Starlings, Bluejays, and other birds, but the first four species I mentioned are the ones who like it best.
AfGreyParrot makes her own and has some good recipes in previous posts.

There are several types of suets. Some preferred by some species, others preferred by others. Suet is most often us3ed in the Winter although they eat it all year. Also, it does NOT spoil so you can leave it up until it has been completely ewaten. The cake in the picture is still hanging out there and is only half eaten after about three weeks so it is very economical.

thornius, the feeders here are $5 and up. i was going to get one, but decided not to spend that much. do you know of a way to make your own?

Jiffy - most of the suet feeder baskets here - the really simple ones are only $1 - do you have a Christmas Tree Shops nearby? They have them in assorted colors too. Even WalMart carries them for $1 usually - any of those types stores...

i'll have to look again when i go out. maybe the dollar stores will have them

I buy most of my tube feeders at the dollar stores, but have not seen suet feeders there. However, they are ALWAYS getting in NEW things at these stores so it pays to check every week or two. Jiffy, if you have the Krogers food chain there, look on the pet food and Wild Birde Seed aisle and they have the suet cages and suet for CHEAP!. I am now in the process of building my own birdhouses out of scrap lumber i get from construction sites for free. Just go there and talk to the foreman. They have to pay to dispose of it and will usually give it to you for free! . Once you have all your tools, all you need to buy is the nails! It costs about 25 cents worth of nails to build a birdhouse. I use flat head, 1 3/4 inch galvanized nails. You should NEVER use pressure-treated lumber or chemical-treated lumber and painting is not necessary.

Here is a rare picture of me putting up the birdhouse my grandson and I built today. Yes, that is realy me in all my geezery glory!

Thorn, Putting up his Birdhouse

i'm always using scrap wood for something. and i'll check out kroger when i go to town tomorrow. that is on chain we have besides walmart.

I found this adorable and eye catching pose of two pairs of House Sparrows, two males, two females, in a bush in front of my house this afternoon. House Sparrows were imported from Europe about 100 years ago and have wreaked havoc on New World birds and habitat since. They are NOT protected by law and can be eliminated by ANY means necessary and in ANY numbers necessary, but nevertheless, I have a soft spot in my heart for this species and do them no harm. Ironically, they are disappearing out of the British Isles and Europe where they originated, and the New World now has the largest populations of this species that be found in the world today. They are also not true sparrows, but are related to the Weaver Finches. They are the main cause for the major decline in the populations of the Eastern Bluebird.

House Sparrows (Two Pairs)

It took me awhile to find the fourth one!

I had recently read that also.

didn't know that

Here are today's bird pictures for 11-14-05. one is a rather striking, if somewhat lesser quality pose of an American Robin. The other is a picture of my quasi-pet Northern Mockingbird's first appearance after a five month hiatus for affairs of the Heart and family duties. Welcome back, Mr. Mocky!

American Robin


Mr. Mocky Returns

Nice, Thornius! That robin looks so regal.

Great pictures.

Cool pictures. I didn't know that's what a mockingbird looks like.

Very nice pictures Thornius! I get some mockingbirds around here too....