Male Downy Woodpecker

Here I am, The Everyday Adventurer, back from my dreadful journey in evil computer land. Even though I escaped back here to my natural surroundings, a few stray computer bugs followed me, and they seem to enjoy chewing on my leg. It might take me awhile to brush them all off.

I'm finally back to take you on a new journey through a forest full of natural wonders. Today we're going to look at a nice little animal that I see almost every time. It's not those attention begging geese, that will dance for a treat. It's not the frightened deer, that will turn to fight if you follow them too much. And it's definitely not those ill tempered little squirrels, that will become infuriated just because we're in their forest.

This time it's a Downy Woodpecker! But wait, you say we've seen these before. Well, I have to admit that you're definitely right. We have seen these once before, but don't be so quick to make a judgment. You only have part of the story. The rest is something special.

What could be so special about this particular woodpecker that wasn't about the other one? Well, they're both equally special. There is a major difference though. The other story saw the very first look at one of these noisy little birds. We have another first look here too.

This downy woodpecker happens to be a male bird. The other was a female. What's so special about that? There are males and females of every animal. The key to this is how we tell the difference. Take a look at a goose and see if you can tell the difference between the two. I can't Can you?

For these downy woodpeckers there is a nice easy way to find out whether you're looking at a male or a female. Take a look at the back of this bird's head. Have you guessed it yet? There is a deep red sideways stripe there. Any downy woodpecker that has that stripe is a male. The female does not have it.

So next time you're in the forest, and you here a familiar rat-a-tat-tat sound coming from the trees, it's probably a woodpecker. These downy woodpeckers are one of the most common. If this is what you see, you can tell any person with you whether it's a male or a female.

After revealing this great knowledge of nature, you'll either come across as a nature genius, or you'll get mercilessly teased for being a nature geek. I have gotten both reactions. The praise is great, but even the teasing can be fun if you know how to take it well. Either way, you now have a small bit of information that you can share with others.

That's the end of our trip for today. Make sure you take your new found imagination home with you. It's a very valuable gift I have given you, and you can use it for many different things. Who knows what amazing adventures it could take you on?