Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Our little Downy Woodpeckers...

This morning as I was getting ready for work I stopped a moment to look out the back window into the branches of the Ash tree. I was looking for the little Downy Woodpeckers that so frequently move through the branches, gleaning insects from behind bark or nabbing a sunflower seed from the feeder to either eat or hide in a crack in the bark. I saw the male first. So cute. The red at the back of his head flashing as he efficiently worked up the branches. Slightly up and to the left, I saw his mate, also working the bark and moving up the tree. I wondered where their roosting cavity was and if they had started looking for a nesting cavity. I hope they have a nice little brood this spring and their nestlings survive.

The male downy moving through the Ash tree.

It was so nice to just take a few minutes to sit and watch these two little birds working their way around the tree looking for food. I don’t know what it is about them, but whenever I see the downies in the Ash I feel a wave of happiness. Likewise, when they are missing, a touch of disappointment creeps in. Thank goodness they never seem to tire of our tree or the sunflower seeds in the feeder and are there more often than not when I look out the window for them!

5 comments:

  1. I love looking for birds every morning before I go to work. Your downy photo is adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cute little guy! The Woodpeckers and Nuthatches are getting frisky and a lot more vocal around here these days. And the Redwinged Blackbirds are back; I was in some salt marsh while on my Merganser hunt yesterday, and the place was full of them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So beautiful and lovely woodpecker ! I enjoy it !

    Cheers,
    Jma

    http://leblogdugeai.canalblog.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kallen...thanks....I have to do. Sometimes I'm late because I get caught up in the birds....
    Roy...The more I study and watch...the more I anticipate the summer warmth and the spring excitement...
    Jmamaro....Thank you!! Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I can relate to being a little let down when certain birds don't "show up." I pay closest attention to my birds on the weekend when I do my counting for Project Feederwatch, and the weekend always feels a little incomplete if I don't get the woodpecker triple-play (downy, hairy, and red-bellied). Oh hey, I just noticed that you changed your commenting format.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting! I love meeting other bird and nature lovers, so drop me a line!