Wednesday, February 19, 2014

A few Woodpeckers

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes



It is not often that I get to see the Hairy Woodpecker at my feeders. I think this cold weather and snow has brought this female Hairy Woodpecker to my suet feeder.  I could tell right away that this woodie was the Hairy and not a Downy woodpecker.. The size is larger, the head is larger and the bill is longer and thicker.






One the left is the Hairy and on the  top right a male Downy and bottom right is the female Downy.




Above is the male Downy and on the right is the Hairy Woodpecker. I was trying to get a shot showing the bill. But, the Downy was not cooperating. I think the photos above do show the head size and the overall size of these two woodies.




I've been thrilled to see the female Hairy each day for the past 4 or 5 days of my GBBC.



The woodpecker is one of my favorite birds, I am lucky to see these two woodies, along with the Redbellied woodpecker, the  Northern Flicker, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and the larger Pileated Woodpeckers in my yard and neighborhood.


Thanks for stopping by my post and for all the nice comments.

Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.  Thanks to our host Michelle our host Stewart.  Happy Birding and have a wonderful week!

76 comments:

  1. Wonderful photos ! THey are so cute, hanging on the basket. Great !
    Best regards, Synnöve

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  2. Good morning Eileen!!Oh,i love how you named the Woodpeckers!!Wonderful shots!Such beautiful birds!I really enjoyed you post!Wish you a happy day!Hugs!
    Dimi...

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  3. i guess it is the male that i enjoy with the bit of red on this head. so pretty. ( :

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  4. So very nice to see! Happy week to you too!

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  5. Great shots . . . I can see the differences. The Hairy looks a bit fuller, less skinny, elongated . . . and darker markings.
    What a treat for you Eileen! and me . . .

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  6. zu mir kommt nur der Buntspecht..über die vielen Arten die es bei dir gibt Eileen ich sehr erstaunt.
    Mag Spechte auch gerne..
    LG in den Tag vom katerchen

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  7. a sweetie and great snapshots Eileen

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  8. What cuties.

    Down my way, we only see Northerns and Pileated now and then.

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  9. I LOVE seeing woodpeckers at the feeder!! So so awesome.

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  10. Good morning Eileen. We have both species here and I have tried to tell them apart and just have the worst time, even with guide book in front of me...Sigh ;) They are lovely and they have all been coming to our feeders all Winter, they really enjoy the suet with nuts and fruits~

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  11. I love woodpeckers, and these are gorgeous shots, Eileen!

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  12. The Hairies and Downies are fun to watch. We have them both here too.

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  13. so very cute. we get the downies here but have never seen a hairy. :)

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  14. How cool to see woodpeckers at your feeders. Great shots! :)

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  15. Love the splash of red on its head. Great captures!!

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  16. Terrific captures! It is hard to tell them apart, until you see together.

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  17. It's a great pleasure to see those beautiful birds.
    Wonderful pictures
    Greetings

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  18. I always can hear a woodpecker but I have never seen it. I didn't know that there were different birds.

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  19. They're so close in looks they can be very confusing. Well done on seeing that Hairy Woodpecker so often since you bird count. Greetings, Jo

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  20. Such cute birds! I saw a woodpecker yesterday in my yard, and based on your photos I think it was a Hairy Woodpecker!

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  21. Eileen,
    You have such talent to capture nature's gifts. I have been following you now, for over a year and I am always delighted and enlightened with what you share with us!!

    Jemma

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  22. They are lovin' those feeders this time of year. The woodies and all your birds are lucky you're there to fill them. Great pictures.

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  23. Great shots of the comparison Eileen. Like you I see more downy and am happy to see the hairys here..Michelle

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  24. I love woodpeckers, and these shots are indeed great.

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  25. I love both of these woodpeckers! Both come to my feeders regularly and they truly are great birds!

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  26. Beautiful images of the woodpeckers. I am still learning to tell the difference between the two. I think I see the downy more and only occasionally the hairy.

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  27. I think you got wonderful pictures of both the Downy and Hairy woodpeckers.

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  28. Here we get Downys, Hairys and Red-Bellied and the occasional visit from the Pileated. They are all beautiful!...:)JP

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  29. You got the Woodpecker in your lens, fabulous images.

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  30. I see woodpeckers when I take Hiker up in the mountains for a hike, but very rarely see them in my yard. Guess they don't like being around people.

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  31. We have the Downy's, but no Hairy's. These are wonderful photos!

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  32. They look so similar, I don't think I get the hairy!! They do love those suets, don't they?!

    You got some really amazing images, so crisp and clear!! My baskets are always in motion as I try to shoot!!

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  33. I think your photos are very beautiful...I saw your comment on Giga's blog...

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  34. My comment didn't seem to publish so trying again...I wanted to tell you I think your photos are very beautiful. (I saw your comment on Giga's blog so I came over to visit.) I love Maryland.

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  35. You caught amazing details in the little woodpecker. Nice!

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  36. Such little beauties! I have a suet cage beside where I sit at the window, and enjoy the little woodpeckers on a daily basis...:)

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  37. A great series showing the differences! I don't think I've ever seen a Hairy. :)

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  38. I always love their speckled feathers. Quite the athletic little guys too!

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  39. Great shots, Eileen
    How great to see woodpeckers at your feeders.

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  40. The one time I put up suet the squirrel had a grand time. I am glad you were rewarding with such wonderful captures. Have a great week, Eileen.

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  41. They are beautiful birds. Yu birders amaze me how you can tell which bird is which.

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  42. Hi,Eileen. Nice captures. I like woodpeckers too. We can see simolar ones in surburbs. Thanks for sharing.

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  43. Eileen,

    These are gorgeous photos! I just love the Downy woodpecker and we have seen a few. I also had the pleasure of seeing the Northern Flicker too. I'll have to post some of my photos too. Just lovely.

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  44. I saw a female Hairy a couple of days ago at our suet feeder -- great shots Eileen. xo

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  45. You are brilliant! I was about to go back to my bird books and figure out the difference between these two. I'm getting forgetful in my old age!!!!
    (ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!

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  46. I too adore woodpeckers. The sound they make makes me happy. - Great shots!

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  47. I have never seen a Hairy Woodpecker before. Great description Eileen, I'll be on the lookout now. Enjoyed your photos as always. Have a great day :)

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  48. Hi Eileen, Excellent photographs of my favorite birds! Of all the woodpeckers you mentioned today, I have still not seen a Northern Yellow-shafted Flicker here in Florida. I have read that these woodpeckers should be here in the general area though. Maybe someday! Have a pleasant day today and enjoy your birds!

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  49. You are very lucky to have woodpeckers in your backyard. Thanks for sharing with us.

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  50. We see both the Downey and the Hairy at the feeders. I am always trying to get similar poses so I can show the differences. As you say they don't always cooperate. MB

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  51. I can understand you area happy about this little pecker. They are gorgeous both of them. :)

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  52. Eileen,
    I have a feeling you will continue to see this couple for a while with the good bird food you have for them!! They are lovely and I hope that you will soon have little woodies visiting you this summer!!

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  53. Love these woodpeckers. I see Downies frequently but haven't see a Hairy Woodpecker for a couple of years.

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  54. Oh, I love woodpeckers! And they keep me buying suet cakes...

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  55. Some lovely Woodpecker shots, Eileen. You are lucky to have them - I've become a real fan since seeing several species in Costa Rica.

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  56. I love these little woodpeckers too !

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  57. We used to see the Hairy Woodpeckers where I grew up. They really are giants compared to the Downys. My favourite is the pileated with his exotic cry and prehistoric looks. I was lucky to see a nest of pileated woodpeckers on our camping site last summer ... the chicks were peeking out of the hole high up in the tree :) Nice photos of these woodpeckers. Wendy x

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  58. I would be thrilled to capture these photos. They are exquisite.

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  59. She is a beautiful girl. I have never seen a Hairy Woodpecker before.

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  60. Great shots - there are two species of black and white woodpeckers in the UK - but they are very different in size, and one is rare - so no real problems for IDing.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  61. Great sighting and great pics, Eileen!
    I didn't see much the peckers this winter, much too mild here!
    I hear them around probing tree trunks for insects on the move because it is so warm, so they don't care much for what I put out for them.
    Keep well!

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  62. Its great to have the differences explained, and amazing that you get such variety. hope the snow isn't as bad.
    All the best Gordon.

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  63. I love all of the woodpeckers, too, but it's hard for me to tell the Hairy and Downy apart. I've yet to see a Pilated at my feeders. Great shots!

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  64. Oh so that's what they are called. I've seen Hairy Woodpeckers but didn't know what they were. Great pictures as usual.

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  65. So enjoyed looking at the photographs - thanks

    All the best Jan

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  66. Wonderful shots of the woodpeckers!

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  67. I have a very soft spot for woodpeckers, a lesser-spotted is the first bird I remember being amazed by as a child. I really enjoyed your images and commentary Eileen, and the names of the woodpeckers made me laugh.

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  68. Lovely photos, woodpeckers are such entertaining birds to watch

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  69. Dearest Eileen;
    Oh, your "Hairy Woodpecker" is really cute and beautiful♡♡♡ I can see your excitement♪

    ps>I'm kind of embarrassed leaving comments for your last years post (your traveling site). We have cave near my city and I'm going to see mountain-burning event of the plateau over the cave today. Haven't realized the date(^^;) But great pictures!

    Sending you Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

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  70. Lovely captures. Good to see such action shots!

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  71. You've reminded me that my feeders need refilling. The birds are enjoying a feast in these pictures.

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  72. Wow .... these photos, I'm really a bit jealous Eileen. :-) Practig to see this woodpecker family
    My compliments. "

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