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 ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]