Looking out my window

Taking an inspirational break from my current project, I went to the windows of my studio hoping to spy some waterfowl. I found instead lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers and a female Red-bellied Woodpecker feeding on the large hackberry trees that line the bank. The berries you see in the warbler shot are consumed by nearly every migrating bird. The common name for the hackberry tree is sugar berry. The woodpecker may enjoy some berries, but it spent more time investigating the crevices of broken limbs.

YB Sapsucker

From March of last year here is a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in my pecan tree. You can see the yellow glaze of color on his belly.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Since the wind and rain are in, here's a photo from late January of a female Red-bellied Woodpecker in my pecan tree. I never got the "red-bellied" name until watching the woodpecker in binoculars: there is a red blush on the feathers in the belly area similar to the red blush around the beak. You can see a bit of it here below the foot. They love acorns and pecans.

Red bellied woodpecker

My pecan loving woodpecker.

Sapsucker

A female Yellow bellied sapsucker woodpecker.

Tool, cont.

And so she flew off to another tree with her pecan and began rapping again. She flew away and left behind you can see the pecan placed in another tree hole.

Use of a tool?

I spotted this Red bellied woodpecker after hearing some loud and plastic sounding rapping. She was first spotted in the crotch of a tree and soon I saw what she was attacking ... a pecan! She was using the tree as a holder. More evidence tomorrow!

The Pileated at Work

This woodpecker spent some time on the the rotting branch lifting up chunks of bark. One beautiful bird, no?

The Pileated Visits

The woodpecker checks out a hackberry tree with a sweet spot of rot.

Red Headed Beauty

On morning walks, I pass a section of maritime forest favored by many woodpeckers. I can recognize the call of the red headed woodpecker, but it's much more fun to see the white wings spread out swooping along the tree line.

Hey buddy, where did you get that red hat?

A pileated woodpecker and a blackbird share a bit of time.