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Saturday, April 24, 2010

Downy Woodpecker In Bare Trees

I became confused about this bird for a time. This is a downy woodpecker. I actually took this picture in March, right before the leaves began growing on the trees. That day there were chickadees all through these small trees. This woodpecker seemed to like their company.


But wait! What was it that confused me? Well, while checking a couple of bird guides, I found out that this downy woodpecker bears a striking resemblance to another woodpecker, the hairy woodpecker. Even though I never try to tell anyone that I'm a nature expert, I still don't like to be wrong about what I tell you. So I decided to wait to show you these pictures.


And how do I know the difference between the two now? After a lot of searching around I found out that, for one, the hairy woodpecker is quite a bit bigger than the sparrow sized downy woodpecker. The bird here is the size of a sparrow, a small bird. Also, this bird has the shorter beak of a downy woodpecker. A hairy woodpecker has a much longer beak. That's the real giveaway.

Another thing I realize about my recent success with bird pictures is that it may not last. These pictures somewhat illustrate why I've been able to get them. There are no leaves on these trees. The birds will be able to hide in among the leaves when the green comes all the way back.

The tree you see in the pictures is most likely much greener right now, so the birds have more places to hide today. I honestly hope my little theory doesn't prove to be absolutely true though, and so far it isn't. I'm still getting some excellent bird pictures, but since I don't just focus on birds here, I try not to overwhelm everyone with them. Plus I want to try to make sure I identify them right, like I did with this one.

One more thing I haven't shared with you yet about this little guy. Yes, I said guy! This woodpecker is definitely a male bird. How do I know? You can't check a bird in the same way you might with a dog. All you have to do with a dog is look underneath at the tail end. Oddly, it's the other end you check with downy woodpeckers.


Do you see that red patch on the back of his head? That's how you know this is a male. A female downy woodpecker doesn't have that red patch. If you can get even halfway close to one of these birds, you should watch for that flash of red. That's when you'll know.

And so ends my little lesson on downy woodpeckers. It's not at all complete, but it can give you a good start. It's probably impossible to give an adequate lesson on any animal in just one blog post, but you can do a web search to find out all you need. There are many good web nature guides out there.

See ya next time!

17 comments:

  1. You sure have been seeing a good variety of birds lately. This one is rather cute.

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  2. Oh you got to see so many different birds! These pictures are wonderful and show such beautiful birds.

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  3. You are definitely correct about this Ratty, a downy woodpecker to be sure. In my experience I have always found the hairy woodpecker to be more elusive as well. You are really getting good with the birds!

    Bill:www.wildramblings.com

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  4. Good ID. You hit all the right points. I had trouble with telling downy from hairy for a long time too. The beak length is really strikingly different once you know to look for it.

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  5. You have gathered a collection on woodpeckers, and become a related expert.

    I reviewed through the pictures I have taken this morning. It must take me a long time to identify those lifers before posting them in my blog.

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  6. Right on Ratty! The overall size and the proportionally shorter beak are characteristic of the downy. We have several of them that are regular visitors to our winter bird feeders.

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  7. Hey Ratty, great shots and great info. As for your pictures - you say "Another thing I realize about my recent success with bird pictures is that it may not last." but in most cases it will just get better. Seriously. I think your success is not luck or a new camera (while that helps it doesn't make someone who is not good suddenly good), it's just that you're out there doing this regularly and thus getting better.

    I look forward to lots more great bird shots from you. :-)

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  8. Ratty, I am loving the bird series here. I wish I had your talent to capture these gorgeous little guys. Your photos are amazingly detailed. Fantastic shots.

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  9. Thank you for the lesson. I am always amazed at people who remember all these details about birds, flowers, and trees.

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  10. I just love these little guys...great photos!! We have these and two other kinds of woodpeckers in this area and I just love the sound when they are all drumming on trees for bugs...

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  11. We have them here..I love them. They are quite tame and come to our suet alot.

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  12. Great pics again. You are getting very good at this! I had a good bird day today too. Stop by later.

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  13. Great shot of the Downy Ratty, he is a very pretty fellow. I would love to see more of them in our area.

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  14. http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/04/25/sunday-special-2/

    5 awards on the bottom of my post,
    I am following you from now on,
    hope to see you soon!

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  15. Cute bird with plush feathers. Great snaps and a great lesson. Thanks a lot. ^__^

    BTW that blue of the sky is my favorite sky color. We don't get it often here though.

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