Saturday, January 3, 2009

Downy Woodpecker

male downy on suet


I like to post my northern Michigan birds here for those who don't make it to my birding blog. The Downy Woodpecker is a year round visitor to Michigan and enjoys suet very much. They are the smallest and most common American woodpecker. I always find them to be such pleasant company with their beautiful colors and their sharp "pik" sound.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a pretty photo. We have an abundance of woodpeckers here in GA but I'm not very good at getting photos of them. I'll keep trying and one of these days, I'm going to surprise you! In the meantime, I'll enjoy your pictures.

Country Girl said...

Hi. Came over here after the comment you left on my blog and I've been back to early November through your posts and am enthralled with your photos, your life, your beautiful views and all the wonderful quotes. I'm adding you to my blogroll so that I can visit regularly.
So glad to have made your accquaintance!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

You can show those Downys over and over, Shelley.. I love 'em and don't see 'em nearly enough!!!!

Hugs,
Betsy

nonna said...

don't get me wrong. i LOVE animals, but i have entered into a war with the woodpeckers around my house.

we have been cursed with carpenter bees which bore holes in exposed wood (like the wood that holds my house up!) and lay their larva in the holes.

guess what likes the larva.

yep. woodpeckers. so not only do i get woke up in the early mornings (a really bad thing, trust me) by the woodpeckers looking for breakfast, but now i don't have small holes in my wood. i have GINORMOUS gouges in the wood. my house is gonna crash down on my head one day!

so, anybody know how to humanely get rid of woodpeckers? if not, i'm pulling out my shotgun this spring! dang i think i might just have to use this subject for a blog. lol

Patsy said...

Love these little woodpeckers. We don't get to see them very often here in our back yard.

basketsnprims said...

Beautiful photo, Shellmo. We see them where we are as well as pileated and a couple other kinds. Simon knows them all and he also has a bird book if he doesn't recognize something he looks them up.

Pam

Cedar ... said...

His cousins are here at my feeder in the Adirondacks. Aren't they just a totally handsome bird? You have a great closeup shot there!

Dawn Marie said...

i love those also. your photo is really good. i need to learn how to get up close sharp photos like that.

Michele said...

Ooooo.... he's adorable! He looks so fluffy but I'm not very good at birds but I love them.
I see so many around here and haven't a clue on what they are...
I'm learning though!
Thanks!
(Hugs)
~Michele~

Unknown said...

Great photo! We have tons of woodpeckers too! The really big ones.

Knatolee said...

What a lovely shot. As always!

Anonymous said...

what a beautiful picture.

Aleta said...

Your blog is wonderful! That bald eagle on the deer carcass is incredible. Your downy woodpecker picture is so clear; you can see every detail. Great!

spookydragonfly said...

What perfection in this capture! I have alot of woodpeckers,too. I enjoy them, as long as they stay off the cabin! My next post I'm showing off my Pileated Woodpecker, I'm just waiting on word back from an authority on birds in Ohio. Happy New Year to you!

Helen said...

Great picture at the top. Good idea to give the eagles road kill. That woodpecker is beautiful. Helen

Tami Weingartner said...

Oh what a lovely shot. What lens are you using on these lovely shots?

Tina said...

Shelley, You are so right..they add quite a spark to a dreary day..all that stunning black and white and spots of red. I love them and can always count on them and the hairys, and red-bellied to show up sometime during the day! Great shot!

Shelley said...

Mildred - I look forward to seeing your woodpecker photos! Tell them to slow down! :)

Country Girl - I am a follower of you too - glad to have met you!!

Betsy - so glad I haven't bored you yet! LOl! Hugs!

Nonna - I know some people have said they have had luck hanging foil pans near their roof or using one of those fake owls to keep them away. (So far I've only had one peck on the log cabin once.)

Bennie & Patsy - I'll send some woodpeckers your way! :)

Pam - the pileated is one of my most favorite!

Cedar - I agree - I think they do look sharp with the pattern on their feathers!

Dawnie - this one let me get real close and then I cropped the photo to make him appear even closer.

Michele - you have the most beautiful landscape photos! I can only imagine what you could do if a bird crossed your path long enough! :)

Darla - I keep hoping my large pileated woodpeckers will let me take another photo.

Knatolee - thank you!

Nature Lovin - thanks so much!

Aleta - you are making me blush - thank you so much for your kind comments!

Spooky - can't wait to see your pileated!!

Madcobug - it's nice when nothing goes to waste in nature. Thank you for coming by!

Hi Tami - I have a Canon Rebel XTI - used my 300mm. I just bought a teleconverter so we'll see how that works....

Tina - thank you! They definitely brighten up the day!