Bird Feeder Frenzy

Female red-bellied woodpecker

 

I've been having such fun watching the birds at my feeders that I splurged and bought this wooden platform and more seeds for them. It took the birds a couple of days to get used to the new feeder on the ground, but now you can't keep them away! Yesterday the female red-bellied woodpecker came by for the first time. We believe there is a nesting pair living in our back woods--we've seen both creeping up the trunk of one of the old oaks in back.

 

She was much shyer than the male who had visited the week before--she made one pass at the seed and nut block and took something, but got spooked by another bird and scurried away a few seconds later. She must have been very hungry, because she came back some time later and stayed long enough for me to take these shots. She was back this morning, ready for more goodies.

 

Goldfinches on the finch sock

I filled the depleted finch sock two days ago and the finches and other small birds have been flocking to the finch sock since then. Lots of birds have been coming by: goldfinches and house finches, dark-eyed juncos, titmice, and chickadees. There must have been some twenty assorted birds in our front yard yesterday, in and out of the trees in front.

White-breasted nuthatch

One new visitor showed up--a white-breasted nuthatch. He's quite aggressive and seems to love the nuts and seeds. When other birds drive him away, he perches on the cherry tree and walks down the trunk head first--one of the few native birds that do this.

As you can see, my daffodils are starting to send up their first shoots through the mulch. Last night we had some icy rain, and this morning all the branches were glistening with frozen drops.