Woodpecker sampling suet.

Lovely set of photos.
Is this a downy or a hairy woodpecker Lori? Resident birder reckons a hairy for the shape of its bill...
Do you see them all close to the house?

Hi M! your resident birder would be correct. It's a hairy...and a female. The males have red on the back of their heads. And the males tend to make more noise! Yes...the feeder is just a few feet from the backdoor.

It's nice for you to be able to watch so many varieties of birds close up Lori , do they still visit for feed in the summer or do they disappear until next winter ?

There is plenty of seasonal food available (notably insects) in the warmer weather, Amy. I leave suet out year round...but in the very hot summer it tends to melt into a yuckky mess. I'm convinced that if offered sunflower seed most birds will abandon all else and eat them first! Planning a larger veggie plot this spring and I'm going to also plant some long rows of sunflowers so that I have my own. (I like them too!)

;-))
the lady who we bought our new house from had lots of birdfeeders scattered about and must have used sunflowerseed in them, this summer i found quite a few sunflower seedlings under and near the feeders, i let them seed and scattered them in turn.
This was just about the extend of my gardening last summer, oh and the occasional mowing. Hopefully i will get some gardening done this year but with the other half of the house renovation still hanging over us, it is not going to be as much as i wld like. Keep warm Lori and btw the days are getting longer!

Good idea Lori ! we buy our sunflower seed by the sack from a local seed merchant for a fraction of the cost of the tiny bags they sell in supermarkets or pet shops .
Good luck with your house renovations Resi ....

Now why did i never think of that amy, off to the nearest seed merchant. Thanks for the good wishes, not lking forward to another summer of chaos but will be worth it when it's done.

I buy a mix which has shelled peanuts in it..it's extremely popular with the bluejays and squirrels! (but really expensive) That said, I wonder if I could grow peanuts?..I think they require a much longer growing season than the 90 days we have.
We are working on our kitchen now, Resi. Flooring first...then replace some cupboards and install the new ones permanently. Living in a work-in-progress is a challenge, isn't it?

Last time i do any more of this "living in a work- in-progress" lark. Just want to get gardening again.
Good luck with your kitchen lori.

Thanks! looks like
We're on the same page! lol... Spring seems so far away. wish I lived in the balmy B.I.