Downy Woodpecker

While trying to catch some shots of waves of geese flying by, this little female Downy Woodpecker showed up.

(See more photos and info on Downy Woodpeckers HERE.)

.

Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpeckers will likely visit bird feeders stocked with peanut butter and peanut hearts. They get along well around human activity, and visit feeders more often than their look-alikes, the Hairy Woodpecker. Downy Woodpeckers are smaller than the Hairy Woodpecker, and have a shorter bill. They eat insects, seeds and nuts, and will visit suet feeders. The Downy Woodpeckers in these photos appear to be starting their courtship ritual.

Female (Left) and Male (Right).

Male.

Female.

Downy Woodpecker

While I was watching the sparrows one day, this Downy Woodpecker made a brief appearance.

Male Downy Woodpecker.

Golden Fronted Woodpecker

This woodpecker is sometimes confused with the Northern Flicker. The Golden-Fronted Woodpecker is an inhabitant of the mesquite brushlands and dry woodlands of central and southern Texas. However, I took these shots in the Palo Duro Canyon State Park, so they are obviously coming into the panhandle. They don't usually drill into wood like most woodpeckers. Instead, they catch insects in flight or feed on fruit and nuts.

The one shown here is the female.

This one is the male.

The Golden-Fronted Woodpecker is related to the Red-bellied Woodpecker in the Eastern US, and they sometimes cross-breed.

(Female Golden-Fronted Woodpecker)

.