Hairy Woodpecker Fights Back - Project Feederwatch Update

A female Hairy Woodpecker keeping House Sparrows away

There was a little ruckus at my suet feeder the other day. Even though Hairy woodpeckers (Picoides villosus) will share a feeder with other birds, this female was not putting up with the gregarious and pushy House Sparrows (Passer domesticus).

You can just make out the woodpecker hiding behind the center stick.

Whenever a House Sparrow tried to eat some of the suet, the woodpecker hid, then lunged at them and drove them away. I don't blame her. If she hadn't, a gang of House Sparrows probably would have done the same to her. Hairy woodpeckers eat suet and black oil sunflower seeds at my feeders. These foods supplements their basic winter diet, of overwintering beetle larvae and ants found in tree bark.

I know this is a Hairy Woodpecker and not a Downy (Picoides pubescent), because I finally learned a reliable method to tell them apart. The Hairy doesn't have black spots on the white tail feathers, a Downy does. The Downy does have a smaller beak and head than the Hairy, but sometimes it is hard to judge.

Hairy Woodpeckers don't migrate. They are year-round residents here in Pennsylvania. They are often seen in residential areas in winter. Hairys mate for life and keep the same territory all their lives. So, this is probably the female that visits my feeders in the summer nesting season. Her mate is probably the male that also visits from time to time. Hairy Woodpeckers roost in tree cavities during winter nights.

Hairys begin courtship display in November and continue throughout the winter. During courtship, woodpeckers drum on large trees and branches rather than sing. So, listen for the sound of fast drumming, echoing in the still winter air.

Enjoying a quiet, undisturbed meal.

The Most Common Winter Birds in Philadelphia

Dark-eyed Junco

Learn the birds on this list and amaze your family and friends with your Philadelphia natural history knowledge.

You don't need to know hundreds of birds, just the ones that occur in your area during particular seasons. There are only 20-30, common and easily found, species of birds living in cold winter areas. This list has 26 species.

There are some birds that I need to know better. Sparrows still confuse me. They aren't called "little brown jobs" for nothing. I would also like to know Red-tailed Hawk plumages.

Using this list, helps me to focus on what is important to know.

Below are the most widespread and easily found birds in the City of Philadelphia during the winter.  The information holds for areas close to the city, give or take a few species.

The information was gleaned from the 24th annual Philadelphia Mid-Winter Bird Census, held on Saturday January 9, 2010 and conducted by the Delaware Valley Ornithology Club.

Starting with the most common and widespread species:

1. Downy Woodpecker
2. Northern Cardinal
3. Carolina Chickadee
4. Song Sparrow
5. White-throated Sparrow 
6. American Robin (often hanging out in wooded areas)
7. Carolina Wren
8. Mourning Dove
9. Tufted Titmouse
10. House Sparrow 
11. Blue Jay (wooded areas)
12. White-breasted Nuthatch
13. Northern Mockingbird
14. Red-bellied Woodpecker
15. Red-tailed Hawk
16. American Goldfinch
17. Dark-eyed Junco
18. European Starling
19. American Crow
20. Canada Goose
21. Rock Pigeon (the common gray jobs that frequent city streets)
22. Ring-billed Gull
23. Mallard
24. House Finch
25. Hairy Woodpecker
26. Northern Flicker

Project Feederwatch offers free posters of common eastern or western winter feeder birds for download and printing.

Find out about birds at All About Birds http://www.allaboutbirds.org/, a comprehensive resource for information on North American birds by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Bird Feeders Replaced after Squirrel Attack

Three weeks ago, I had to replace my hanging tube feeder, the Squirrel Buster.  My old one succumbed to the skills of the squirrels. The squirels can not eat the seeds with the feeder hanging from a post, so they teamed up to knock it down.

summer photo of squirrel working on the Squirrel Buster.

The squirrels destroyed it by knocking the stand down, which cracked the plastic tube which holds the seeds. I just saw the stand crashing to the ground as two squirrels high-tailed in out of my garden.

I was so ticked off, I wouldn't write about it until I cooled off. Which is now. It took me three weeks to get over the annoyance, forget the money I had to spend and like the squirrels again.

This is one of my new feeders. It is a Squirrel Buster Classic. I stuck with the Squirrel Buster because they do work and last awhile. I bought two this time, a small and a larger one. I like the wire cage on the outside, which will protect the plastic tube from cracking during squirrel attacks.

House Sparrows on new Squirrel Buster

I ordered my new Brome 1055 Squirrel Buster Mini and Brome 1015 Squirrel Buster Classic from Amazon.com.

For those of you who are just starting out feeding birds, here is a good article on what types of feeders to use, 5 Best Bird Feeders for Winter | Audubon Magazine Blog