feeder happenings

our bird feeders are an everyday, all day, part of our lives. they hang outside of our living room and we are witness to all of the seasonal happenings. we have lived through the snow birds and the occasional visit from the cardinals and now we are on to my favorite time. the babies.

we have a large number of woodpeckers at our feeders. D loves the woodpeckers and has a few feeders that are special for them. D loves the red bellied woodpeckers the best. in fact, we all call them "daddy's buddy", no matter if they are female or male. we also have downy and hairy woodpeckers. they are nice too but not nearly as great as the big, red-mohawked red bellies.

so now the babies are growing and they are big enough to be learning to feed on the feeders.

the red bellied guys have a cute bald looking head when they're babies. this year we have 2. i haven't been able to get a picture of both on the feeder at once, mostly because they try to scare each other away. i think a big part of their curriculum is learning how to scare other birds off, because that is what their mom teaches them every day on the feeder. soon they are brave enough to try out their skills.
it is so sweet to watch. just as sweet is to watch them grow and try to determine if they are male of female. in a few weeks time we won't be able to tell who the babies are. it is a very brief time, much like our babies.

we also have another new visitor at the feeder. i'm still not sure if i welcome this guy.....