Outdoor Ontario

Birding Reports => Backyard Birding => Topic started by: JW Mills on September 05, 2010, 06:06:02 PM

Title: Woodpeckers are back
Post by: JW Mills on September 05, 2010, 06:06:02 PM

After being away for most of the summer 3 Downies showed up early this morning and again late afternoon.
Guess I'll have to put the suet feeder back up!
Also making an appearance were 2 Flickers and a Catbird.

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Post by: ravynne40 on September 05, 2010, 09:12:08 PM

How exciting, the flickers are so pretty!

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Post by: MEGHAN on September 06, 2010, 07:51:22 AM

I didn't know Downies left.
I've had them all summer.
Meg

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Post by: Reuven_M on September 06, 2010, 08:12:16 AM

Quote from: "MEGHAN"

I didn't know Downies left.
I've had them all summer.
Meg

They probably just didn't breed right nearby, but are spreading out now that breeding is over.

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Post by: JW Mills on September 06, 2010, 10:27:20 AM

I guess I should have been a liitle clearer.
Both Hairies and Downies were making daily appearances in my yard until mid-June and then nothing.
I have seen woodpeckers on a regular basis in adjacent Smythe Park all summer, but for some reason they have not  been visiting my yard.
 
Reuven, both Hairies and Downies did breed nearby, check out my post from June:
http://outdoorontario.net/birds/phpBB/v ... php?t=5810 (http://outdoorontario.net/birds/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=5810)

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Post by: Leslie on September 10, 2010, 05:14:41 PM

What I noticed most this week (from September 7) is that the woodpecker numbers seemed to be up, so even if they did breed locally there seem to be too many of them.  Yesterday there was a white-breasted nuthatch in with the hairies--I didn't know they flocked like that.  Also yesterday a flicker chased one of the robins (lots of robins in interesting plumage around), which kind of surprised me because I haven't seen a flicker being that aggressive--they certainly forage happily on the so-called "lawn" with the starlings.  Another surprise--the flickers (or at least one of them) have been calling nearly all day.  I thought they finished that sort of thing when breeding season was over.

I saw a lot of undersides of robins and some of starlings and flickers on Tuesday as the birds foraged in the Virginia creeper.  All the birds seemed to eat & skedaddle, possibly returning a few moments later (can't verify it's the same birds returning).  I'm guessing they don't want to stick around too long in case of hawks, because any Coopers hawks seem just as able to read the foliar flags (red leaves) as the fruit-seeking migrants.  Which is a bit amusing, since the fruit seems to be ripe but the leaves aren't red (today I saw one small bit of red).  Makes me wonder if the fruit-ripening and the leaf-reddening are on independent timetables.