I too had a red-bellied woodpecker on my hummingbird feeder yesterday. I
have one of the round flat feeders that hangs from a mixed seed feeder. He
planted himself in the middle and was drinking through one of the holes
where he had pried off the plastic flower. He stayed on the feeder for a
good 10 minutes and ran off any hummers that ventured close to the feeder.
Tammy Nickerson
Granville
-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
Kenn Kaufman
Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2007 11:44 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [Ohio-birds] Unusual Hummingbird feeder Visitor
Hi Michele,
That's a neat observation. I haven't seen Red-bellied Woodpeckers visiting
hummingbird feeders in Ohio, but I've seen this happen in Louisiana. A
close relative of this species, the Gila Woodpecker, is a very frequent
visitor to hummer feeders in Arizona, clinging awkwardly and lapping up the
sugar water. Another relative, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, comes to hummer
feeders (and to oriole feeders, including sliced oranges) in southern Texas.
It's my impression that this particular group (the barred-backed members of
the genus Melanerpes) tend to be more adaptable or more varied in their
diets than most woodpeckers. But a taste for sweet liquids may run in the
family, if you consider that the sapsuckers are just woodpeckers specialized
for drinking sap.
Still, if all the local Red-bellieds get into the act, your mother-in-law
may wind up going through even more than 100 pounds of sugar this year!
Kenn Kaufman
Rocky Ridge, Ohio
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