Photographer Ann Murray - Downy Woodpecker in Action

My agent's daughter Ann is quite a good photographer. After I saw some of the pictures she'd taken in her yard, I asked if she'd like to contribute to my blog. It won't surprise me if the Bloomfield Garden Club members try to recruit her to be the group's photographer!

Here's what Ann has to say:

          In northern Virginia, a downy woodpecker enjoys a meal of high energy suet. Suet is a great option for bird feed in the winter. Made of fat from beef kidneys, it offers quite a treat for a hungry bird. There are many different mixes and flavors using ingredients like berries, nuts, seeds, and other components for a bird’s healthy diet.  However, be wary of serving this in the summer as often. Because the fat melts at certain temperatures, it can grow rancid and make the critters sick. During the winter when food is difficult for the birds to find, these cakes are something greatly desired among woodpeckers, finches, nuthatches, and other variations of bird.

Ann Murray - downy woodpecker

            This bird enjoying this suit is the downy woodpecker. The smallest variation of North American woodpecker, this bird can drill extremely tiny holes with its beak to gain food sources that other larger woodpeckers cannot. If one puts out a suet cake in the United States or Canada where these birds are common, it is very likely they will soon be seen.