Downy

Spotted a Downy at the suet feeder today. ( No, unfortunately not Robert Downy Jr.) He didn't stay long even though he could ft very comfortably through the cage bars like the juncos do and could sit and eat at his leisure. For a moment I couldn't figure out if he was a Downy woodpecker or a Hairy woodpecker as they are so close in markings and colouring. Then I remembered "DD". "Downy" is "Diminutive" and so, therefore much smaller than the Hairy. That can also be tricky to figure out if you don't have the two birds side-by-side to compare sizes. Am I right? I figure though, that if he can fit easy as kiss-the-back-of-my-hand (to quote Jack Aubrey) into the feeder cage, then it must be the Downy.

I also forgot to mention the flock of Pine Siskins that came by for about five minutes. They sat on the apple tree while a few dabbled at the feeder. Wouldn't you know it, those pesky Starlings came by and drove them off. (Starlings, I do love your plummage and weird metallic calls but you are SO annoying.)

It does make me want to get a thistle feeder though, not just to entice the Siskins to hang about longer but also for the Black-capped Chickadees. I can only seem to get two B-caps in the garden and I'm not sure why, as we buy high quality black sunflower seed. I wonder if there are too many juncos at the feeders.