Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. Thomas Merton

Monday, February 1, 2010

Backyard Birding

While passing the time out in the backyard today, I spotted a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (love that name!) on the pecan tree. I wasn't able to get any good shots with the cell phone, so I've borrowed a couple from Photobucket.





suecan_1947 http://http://media.photobucket.com/image/yellow-bellied



Back view

adatec http://http://media.photobucket.com/image/yellow-bellied%20sapsucker/adatec/PicMaculPPN-1.jpg?o=25



The Woodpecker Diner

This is one of our pecan trees that is host to dining woodpeckers. You can see all the little holes running horizontally around the trunk where they have drilled to get insects and sap.

I also spotted a pair of brown thrashers and a cardinal enjoying the leaves and berries. Again, I wasn't able to photograph them. They are too quick for me.











Thrashers: Aegolius
Cardinal: vabeh87
Photobucket.com

2 comments:

  1. You have some fascinating birds over there Melissa. The names are quite unfamiliar to us Brits. I suppose the woodpecker family are all loosely related though.

    Love the idea of sundogs in the previous post. Now I come to think of it I have seen some from time to time.

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  2. Some of the names are quite interesting, Cathy. A few more good ones are "ruddy turnstone," "greater yellowlegs," and "Chuck-will's wildow," "white-breasted nuthatch (and others), and "tufted titmouse." "Yellow-bellied sapsucker" sounds like something one would reserve for name-calling.

    The sapsucker went round and round the tree trunk probing for insects and sap and would hop backwards down the trunk. It reminded me of the nuthatches, who go down the tree trunk headfirst.

    Do check out Atmospheric Optics for lovely photos and great information.

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