Downy Woodpecker: A Reliable Deck Feeder Visitor

Still winter… so the birds are my only garden entertainment.  

Downy Woodpecker 2/23/13
Downy Woodpecker 2/23/13

On February 23rd, this pretty Downy Woodpecker girl came to visit.   Thankfully all birds don’t fly south for the winter.   These woodpeckers are year-round visitors to our feeders.

According to my daughter’s bird book, “The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in Wisconsin and the most common.  It is built to survive and can balance on weed stems and small branches, unlike larger members of the woodpecker family.”
Wild About Wisconsin Birds: A Youth’s Guide to the Birds of Wisconsin (Adventure Publications)

 

 

Downy Woodpecker 2/23/13
Downy Woodpecker 2/23/13

 

No surprise she loved the “Woodpecker” suet block.  Its ingredients are:  Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, Mixed Tree Nuts, White Proso Millet Seeds, Cracked Corn, Peanuts, Gelatin.

Birdola 54328 2-Pound Woodpecker Seed Cake

 

Has anyone tried making their own suet for the birds?   I might have to look into that!

More pictures of the Downy Woodpecker: