Woodpeckers for WBW, February 10-11, 2015

ABC Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, and Wild Bird Wednesday

ABC Wednesday
E is for Eagle's Nest?


February 2, 2015

I think this is an eagle's nest high atop this electric power structure.  I have not seen eagles in this area so I could be wrong.  The birds I usually see here are Gulls and Herons, but I've never seen their nests up so high.  This power structure is mounted on top of a dam, so is higher than it looks.


If it is not an eagle's nest, well then, E is for electric power!
NOTE:  Thanks to blogging friends helping with ID, I think this is actually an Osprey nest.

Outdoor Wednesday 



Rocks and driftwood alongside Pickwick Lake, Colbert county, Alabama, USA, February 7, 2015

Last Saturday was such a beautiful, sunny day we decided to drive over into Alabama to walk at  
Pickwick Lake (created by a dam across the Tennessee River). It is a very popular recreation area, especially in the Summer, but it is quiet and peaceful now in the Winter. This is looking north towards the main part of the river.

 

 

Looking south, waves created by the wind are more noticeable.

 

Wild Bird Wednesday

Female Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, February 6, 2015

The year-around range of the Red-Bellied Woodpecker covers most of the eastern United States. When Winters are severe in the northern states, woodpeckers will migrate south. Since they cling to tree trunks and limbs, the small patch of reddish feathers low on their bellies is seldom seen.

female, Red-Bellied Woodpecker

The female came to my suet feeder first, ate as much as she wanted, and then moved aside for the male.

female, Red-Bellied Woodpecker

She perched above the feeder and watched him eat.  In the Spring she will lay 4 or 5 white eggs in a tree cavity.  Both parents incubate the eggs, taking turns on the nest.  Fledglings leave the nest 24-26 days after hatching.

Male Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, February 6, 2015

Woodpeckers eat large numbers of tree-boring beetles as well as other insect pests. They also like acorns and wild fruit.  You can attract them in the Winter by hanging suet feeders.  The ones I buy have sunflower seeds, cracked corn, chopped peanuts, and raisins imbedded in the suet.

male, Red-Bellied Woodpecker

In case you are wondering why this bird is not named Red-Headed Woodpecker, there is another woodpecker whose red feathers completely cover its head, face, neck, and throat down to its shoulders. Hopefully, one day I'll get a photo of a Red-Headed Woodpecker.

Have a wonderful day!

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