Did you know?
The downy female woodpecker is the smallest in North America. They are plentiful in our area in Upstate NY, these little ladies just love to munch on suet as well as black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts and millet. I have also seen them drop by the hummingbird feeder for a quick sip of sweet nectar.
Downy Woodpeckers mate for life, they are monogamous. They like to build their nests in dead trees, they both work to peck out a cavity in the dead wood, then build a cozy place to lay their eggs. The female will lay anywhere from 3 to 8 eggs, they breed from January to March, some really cold months here in the mountains.
This lovely lady shows off her soft, fluffy feathers that keep her warm all year round.
With as many woodpeckers that dine at our #homestead, we buy the suet blocks by the case.
Such pretty birds, small but very flexible, willing to peck out a piece of the feeder wood occasionally.😁😉
So there you have it #birdwatchers. My female downy woodpecker for this week's #featheredfriends #smap contest.
Sharing the love with @nelinoeva, @melinda010100, @barbara-orenya and our judge, @oks2crypto.
Thanks so much for all your support.
#hive on y'all!
Great photos! I buy suet by the case, too!
Good morning my friend. It's amazing how quickly the birds up here go through the suet and seeds we put out. Our yard is getting to look like an airport once again, love it!
Enjoy the day.
I love this lady, she is really cute. 🙂
I have soft spot for woodpeckers. 😀 They are the reason to start photographing birds.
Hello Neli, hope all is well. We have so many woodpeckers up here, they are all over the place, so lovely to watch.
Thanks for the ecency points.
Have a wonderful day.
We have them here, but I don't pay enough attention to realize the female was so much smaller. :))
You are just too busy lady 😁
Sigh....
Woodpeckers are such a cool bird. I love going to the woods and hearing them!
The downy woodpecker is a gorgeous breed.
So they like suet, I never knew that. Great captures and yes I can imagine it would be cold for them in your winter months!
Good luck in the contest:)
Excellent photographs! @farm-mom 📸
The female downy woodpecker has quite the colorful plumage and is almost equally as noticeable as her male counterpart (minus the red feathers) compared to most of the other species.
Breeding from January to March? BRRR!❄
I haven't seen one drink from our hummingbird feeder yet but they are hilarious to watch as they very non gracefully cling to the bottom section of the feeder and peck at sunflower seeds!
Hope you have a terrific weekend!💯