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red headed woodpecker/hummingbirds



Hi,

I saw something interesting in my yard this week.  I put up a new feeder
containing safflower seeds in a dogwood tree in my front yard.  A juvenile
red headed woodpecker has been taking safflower seeds one at a time and
sticking them in crevices in the bark of the dogwood tree.  I've seen him do
it on several occasions.  I went up and looked at the tree later to make
sure that is really what he was doing and the seeds are really there stuck
in crevices.  I didn't think woodpeckers even ate much seed.....is he just a
confused baby?

Also, I have hummingbirds.  They just showed up this week.  I have been
trying to attract them all season but did not see any until this week.  They
were buzzing around my red impatients so I immediately put up a feeder and
I've had at least two (male and female) regular visitors since then.  Never
more than one at a time though, so I don't know if it is just those two or
more.  My hummingbird feeder is very close to my seed feeder, and after
reading about the cardinal attacks (I've been behind - just read alot of
bird mail), I wonder if I should worry.  The hummers do not seem deterred by
the presence of the seed eaters though (mostly house finches).  One house
finch got on the hummingbird feeder and tried to stick his beak in the
nectar hole to see what the big deal was.  I've been taking pictures of them
today and yesterday but haven't finished the roll yet.  If they come out
good, I may try and put them up on a webpage.

Why would they just show up this week?  Are they migrating now?  One
hypothesis - could it be that they have been in my neighborhood all along
but just found my yard because I have a large patch or Rose of Sharon that
just starting blooming regularly in the past couple of weeks.  (I read on
the operation hummingbird page that they like rose of sharon).

Shannon Douglas
monkeyself@email.msn.com
Columbia, SC