Red-headed Woodpeckers

Red-headed Woodpecker numbers continue to climb at Blue Jay Barrens.  There are at least five individuals that regularly visit the yard, and I frequently see others about the property.

Of course, the Red-headed Woodpecker has a ways to go before it displaces the Blue Jay as the most noticeable bird species here.

The birds are most easily observed at the feeder. 

Sunflower seeds are collected in quantity…

… and removed to nearby deadwood snags to be opened and consumed.

It’s generally just one woodpecker at a time at the feeder.  Others wait in the trees for their turn at the seed.

I’m becoming used to hearing the calls of these beautifully colored birds.  I hope the Blue Jay Barrens population continues to grow.

Red-headed Woodpecker Family

I saw my first Blue Jay Barrens Red-headed Woodpecker about ten years ago.  It was a juvenile that frequented the feeder for about three months in late summer.  Two years ago a single adult began visiting the feeder.  It was joined by another the next spring and the two became regular visitors to the feeder.  A few weeks ago, I noticed both birds making frequent feeder visits and leaving the area with a bill full of feed.  This was a distinct change from their previous habit of taking small amounts of feed to be consumed on the dead apple snag just beside the feeder.  I suspected they were collecting food for some youngsters.  Sometimes they left with a bill full of cracked corn.

Other times they loaded up with sunflower seeds.

A few days ago, some juveniles showed up with the parents.  I can hear them calling from the trees, but I haven’t been able to get an accurate count.

I know there are at least two, because I spotted two on the ground helping themselves to cracked corn.  The young woodpeckers are the birds in the photo that are not the Blue Jay.

The adults are now collecting feed and flying into the nearby trees.  Unfortunately, that hides them from my view.

This adult sometimes uses the top of an old utility pole as a feeding platform.

The utility pole is the only place I’ve been able to get a glimpse of the young birds being fed.  The parent lays its sunflower seeds on top of the pole and then opens them one at a time for the youngster.

I’ve included a short video of the young woodpecker being fed by its parent.  The start of the film is a bit shaky because I was shooting through a partially opened window and go tangled up in a potted plant on the windowsill.  I was trying to keep the pot from falling to the floor while I centered on my subject.  About seven seconds in to the video, a caterpillar on its silk thread drops into the right side of the frame and quickly swings out of the picture.  The video can also be seen on YouTube by clicking HERE.  A second, slightly longer, video of the same subject may be seen by clicking HERE.

Woodpecker Tree

Red-headed Woodpeckers have arrived at Blue Jay Barrens.  I saw a juvenile several years ago and I spotted a couple of adults in the area last year, but this year I’ve seen three at once and they seem to be staying around.  Now I have all six resident woodpecker species living on the property and all six are visitors to my feeding station.

A component of my feeding station is what I call the Woodpecker Tree.  This Silver Maple once had large, sprawling branches that reached completely across the house.  To prevent future roof damage, I had the upper part of the tree removed in 2005.  The lower portion I left as a place to hang feeders and as a source of dead wood for foraging woodpeckers.  For about two months after having it cut, I performed a weekly removal of sprouts growing from the cut stumps.  It only took a few minutes each week and without leaves, the tree quickly ran out of energy and died.  Insects soon colonized the dead wood and the woodpeckers went to work.

The root buttresses have just about disappeared, but the tree still seems very sound.  Woodpeckers and various mammals have spent a lot of time foraging in this part of the tree.

There are still a few patches of bark clinging to the stout branches.  Where the bark has long since fallen away, the exposed wood has taken on the weathered appearance of driftwood.

Each limb has a couple of woodpecker nest holes near its summit. 

There are plenty of small holes from woodpeckers searching out burrowing insects.

Larger excavations provide evidence of Pileated Woodpecker feeding frenzies.  The insect supply in the tree must be diminishing, because the woodpeckers now use the tree as more of a feeding platform to which they bring food. 

The Red-headed Woodpeckers have adopted a common feeding strategy.  First there is a visit to the feeder to get a sunflower seed.

The seed is taken into the tree and lodged into a crack of hole.

With the seed securely held, the woodpecker cracks the shell and removes the meat.  Sometimes there’s a line waiting for access to the best holes.

The Red-bellied Woodpeckers use the same strategy.  A single seed is removed from the feeder and taken to the tree.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are responsible for most of the nest holes chiseled into the tree.

Downy Woodpeckers follow the accepted pattern.

Although, they prefer to open the seed in a more sheltered location.

Downy Woodpeckers leave more debris behind than do the larger species.  Chickadees often come in and clean up once the Downy has moved on.  I don’t know how much longer this tree will last, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having it outside the window.

Note:  The six resident woodpecker species at Blue Jay Barrens are: Red-headed, Red-bellied, Northern Flicker, Downy, Hairy and Pileated.