MAGPIE'S MUMBLINGS

A blog about my interests, which include fabric landscapes and various and assorted other artsy pursuits and sometimes known to contain mumblings of a random nature.

Wednesday, February 04, 2026

For lack of anything creative...

....I thought maybe I'd share pictures (not mine, but found on the internet) of the three breeds of woodpeckers that visit our suet feeder every day.  I know many of my followers are probably familiar with them but I have some readers who are from other parts of the world and they might not...

This one is a Downy woodpecker and is quite small - generally 5 1/2 to 7".  They're quite feisty and don't tolerate sharing with others of the same species, although will feed at the same time as nuthatches.


This one is a Hairy woodpecker and at first glance there's not much to tell them apart from the Downy - other than their size, with the hairy being about 9".  


The Red-bellied woodpecker is the largest, coming in at about 10".  The name seems odd considering their bellies aren't all that red - it's their head.  These are particularly pretty when they're in the sun.  They are the most feisty of them all and don't tolerate other birds at all and will drive them off.  

The RC is kept busy keeping the suet feeder filled with a constant parade of these guys - plus two kinds of nuthatches, juncoes, and chickadees.  We also have a flock of starlings that will clear the feeder out in mere minutes - they are bullies too and we'd just as soon they dine elsewhere because they drive our nice birds away.

- I came across THIS article and thought it was quite interesting so thought I'd share.

- HERE is a useful little creation you might want to make for yourself.

- And for those of you dealing with lots of snow, perhaps you'd like to get out and have some fun trying THIS.

-THIS is a really nice scarf pattern.

Today's quote..."When we understand that each day isn't one more day, but one less, we start giving more value to what truly matters"












10 comments:

  1. We get downies quite a bit and I've noticed the male and female of a pair feed separately, even if they're both there together. Evidently they won't even share with a mate! Thanks for always finding us interesting links you enabler, you!

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    1. Yes, woodpeckers are feisty individuals and aren't generally willing to share, even with their mates. Interestingly, they don't seem to mind sharing with nuthatches and on the rare occasion a chickadee.

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  2. I often have trouble telling a large Downy woodpecker from a small Hairy woodpecker. Sometimes I can only be sure if they are both at the feeders at the same time.

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    1. We have them come so often that now I can tell the difference, simply from their size. Going by their markings doesn't seem to help much because they are so similar. I'm sure a 'birder' would be able to tell them apart but I'm happy just to have them entertain us.

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  3. Beautiful photos from the internet. I don't get to see woodpeckers often here in Montreal.

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    1. We're so lucky because we see all of them several times a day.

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  4. We get Downy woodpeckers, and the occasional Hairy. We even got a Red-headed once.

    God bless.

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    1. We love watching them at our suet feeder - they're so feisty, but sometimes they actually seem to go to sleep.

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  5. The thumb pincushion is cute. And genius, I'm thinking.

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    1. I don't know how well it would work but I know some people really like them.

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