Woodpeckers

 Meet Our Red Bellied Woodpecker

Our yard wasn't always an active bird sanctuary. I lived alone here in Berne, a small and old village just north of Pigeon, Michigan. I met my wife, Sharon, thirty years ago. She was living in Wixom, Michigan. Sharon was an active bird watcher, and her yard was filled with bird feeders and every imaginable bird was a visitor.

After we married, we moved here, because my home was in the country, far from the bustle of Detroit. Sharon was disappointed when we put up our first bird feeder. Nothing! Not even a Weaver Finch. It took a long time to bring the birds to our yard. But with Sharon's knowledge of birds we planned a great yard and garden. Over the years we have been blessed with a constant flow of birds, and other friends. We have several rabbit families, some squirrels and lots of birds.

This winter we have been fascinated with the woodpeckers. We moved the suet feeders closer to our dining room window when our "Big" tree was brought down in a bad storm. Sharon was afraid that the woodpeckers might not come to the feeder, because they could see us through the window. It was an unfounded fear. In fact, we had more woodpeckers in the yard this past winter, than we ever had.

I decided to take some video of the woodpeckers and I'll post one today. We have been attracting Downy woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, and the Red Bellied Woodpecker. Here is the largest woodpecker. The Red Bellied.

I love this bird. It is large and not afraid of anything or anyone. When a Starling stops in, this bird will chase the entire flock out of the tree. Enjoy our friend and we will be posting more every day.