Thursday, July 20, 2023

Sneaky Snacker

 I love the red-bellied woodpeckers. They're so cute and shy and careful.

 

This one is stealthily approaching the bird feeding board in the crab apple tree to get a sunflower seed.

 

It slowly hopped down the tree, circling around and keeping a wary eye on me (standing inside the barn doorway) as it decided whether it was safe to sneak a snack.


He never actually set a foot on the board. He just worked his way down far enough to reach over and take a seed before flying off again. 

What a clever, covert little character.
 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was surprised to find that the juvenile red bellies start off with no red on their heads. I thought I had a new kind of woodpecker the first time I saw one ! The ones that visit my suet are bold, and hold their ground against all comers. It's refreshing to see one of them stand up to an agressive blue jay: HA take that, you noisy one !

Hugs to ya, BetsyLee

Webfoot said...

I know! They're so cute. And it's fun to watch them learn how to get seeds and suet from the feeders. They look so crestfallen when they drop a sunflower seed or a chunk of suet. Hugs right back!

Anonymous said...

I had an adult red belly going to the suet feeder and then to the tree to feed the suet to the young juvenile. The pair came for several days. So fun to watch.

Sheila

Webfoot said...

I agree, Sheila. It's always a treat to watch the young ones learn how to be birds, isn't it? They're just so entertaining and charming. :)