This winter the neighbor and I put out suet for our Downy woodpeckers and other birds. But in hot weather, the suet cakes just melt. So I went to the store looking for something else, and found a nice big block of nuts, fruit, seeds, etc. As The Bug noted, it looked good enough for us to eat! Surely it would be attractive to the woodpeckers.
And it was!
Downy woodpeckers, punked out, lol!
They loved it.
Alack, so did the Occasional Squirrel:
I moved the treat to a tall shepherd's crook, and it was okay for a couple of days, but I came out one morning to find nothing but a bit of cord dangling from the hook. So I went to plan B, buying hard cakes to put in my suet holder. Again, the Downies loved it!
So, too, did the Occasional Squirrel, but he has yet to break into it.
Nor has he been able to chew through the wire hanger.
And so the treats remain. Late yesterday evening a lovely Red-bellied woodpecker came to visit!
That was nifty!
7 comments:
I love our back yard :)
Wonderful photos. Those woodpeckers look about the same size as our Lesser Spotted ones. We have Green Woodpeckers and Greater Spotted visiting our garden but the small ones are much rarer. I can't compare their size to any of your native birds as I am very ignorant of American birds.
Love all the woodpeckers! I have tons of Downy's too now... lots of babies. :c) I get the "No Melt" Suet cakes and they seem to do well in the summer months. Just had a Red-bellied dad come this morning to fill his beak full of sunflower kernels to feed babies.
Much as I love them, squirrels can be a pain when it comes to bird-feeders. They NEVER give up!
Great photos, Michael.
Kat
our bird baths are a never ending source of entertainment.
Those pesky squirrels! We just bought some suet from Wild Birds Unlimited. Supposedly it has peppercorns in it which the birds will eat around but the squirrels will bite and then leave the suet alone. Hope it works.
Our woodpeckers are pecking some serious holes in the cedar shingles at WM. Pesky peckers.
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