Back Acres: Downy Woodpecker vs Juniper

I was sitting on the patio this morning when I noticed a little bird pecking at a pile of cut Juniper trees.

The picture below is of the cut Juniper trees laying on the hill - but the bird had flown away.

In the picture below you can see the tapped holes in the juniper trees - from what I discovered was a female Downy Woodpecker. For more information: www.allaboutbirds.org - Downy Woodpecker

The Downy Woodpecker Returns

I grabbed my camera and was happy to capture the woodpecker's return. This time the downy landed on a standing juniper tree, next to the hammock. He tested both sides of the standing juniper tree and realized this tree was not rotten.

The woodpecker then hopped down to the juniper logs. In the picture below, on the left you can see the top of the Downy woodpecker's head. If this woodpecker was male then it would have red feathers on the top of the head - this woodpecker is female.

In the picture below you can see the Downy giving a last tap before flying away.

Downy Woodpecker Video

Below is the Downy Woodpecker vs Juniper video.

Holes and Bark Tore off Juniper Logs

In the pictures below you can see the bark torn off the juniper logs and the hops from the Downy Woodpecker tapping. She was looking for bugs under the bark and wood.

Below is an Older Video of a Woodpecker Tapping a Telephone Pole

• Various Animal Tracks and Footage from Winter + Telephone Pole Tapping & Rocket Stove Thawing - Back Acres

A new camera with 25x optical zoom is on the way.

Have a great day!