wooden hopper style bird feeder

[rockyroller]

 

[rockyroller]

 

[rockyroller]

a very large wood pecker was using the prop boards this morning! it was so exciting! I think it was bigger than the red belly! definitively not the big black piliated, haha. that would be amazing to see. we have a few of those in our area & I do have pics of one & even chicks sticking their head out of a tree behind out house

 

[rockyroller]

handheld & had to photo through the dirty double pane back slider cuz the cat wants to run out. hard to clean up a bad photo. but so happy the prop boards are getting used

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

zero activity at the suet. nothing, nada, the big goose egg

I find different species have different preferences at different times if year. Robins seem to like fat balls/suet but eg blue tits don't. In winter blue tits tend to prefer peanuts but will switch to sunflower hearts when peanuts are getting low but won't switch to fat balls/suet. In summer blue tits don't touch sunflower hearts but only sunflower hearts.

I don't feed dried mealworms mainly as in nesting season they are dangerous for hatchlings (not yet fledged have to het all their water from their good ant caught caterpillars, etc. have a good water content but dried mealworms (much loved by parents) don't ...

 

[rockyroller]

here's the new wood pecker I need to identify. maybe a Northern Yellow-shafted, or Red shafted? Flicker

so happy it's using the dowels & prop board. seems to have really big feet

& I wonder who this guy is

maybe tomorrow I can get better pics not thru a glass door

 

[annedonnelly]

Your unknown guy looks very much like a European starling (Sturnus vulgaris).

 

[Poacher]

here's the new wood pecker I need to identify. maybe a Northern Yellow-shafted, or Red shafted? Flicker
View attachment 800752

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so happy it's using the dowels & prop board. seems to have really big feet
View attachment 800755
& I wonder who this guy is
View attachment 800756
maybe tomorrow I can get better pics not thru a glass door

Yellow-shafted Flicker. Red-shafted doesn't have that red patch on the back of the head.
I'm pretty sure @annedonnelly is correct with her id as European Starling, an unfortunate introduction! Really envious of the number of different woodpeckers you have over there.
Always thought Bluebirds were summer visitors but apparently they're occasionaly overwintering.

 

[rockyroller]

set up in the window but didn't have a lot of time to sit & wait today

the bluebird likes the suet & was really struggling to get into the cage