Surprise visitor
 

I keep a feeder on my deck about 5' outside of my great room window to feed the goldfinches. The other day a larger bird caught my eye and I was able to catch this image. He stuck around for almost 15 min. and didn't want to share with the finches. It's visited once again since.

Do you know the woodpeckers in your area?

I don't consider myself a birder, but according to my Peterson's "Birds East of the Rockies" I believe this to be a red bellied woodpecker. First time I've seen one at the feeder. Also had what I believe to be a redpoll at the feeder a couple of days ago but wasn't able to get a picture.

You are correct, it's a Red Bellied woodpecker. Keep Peterson's by the window, it's a great resource. You might consider hanging out a suet cake.

We have three type of woodpeckers regularly here at the feeders: red belly, downy, yellow belly sapsucker. Used to have pileated, but haven't seen one in a very long time. They eat tons of black oil sunflower seeds and love suet cakes.

Last two years grandkids and I gather tons of pinecones, stuff with a mix of peanut butter and dried mealy worms, then freeze and use. The grands love doing it.... and good grief it's a super messy project. Not sure what I was thinking when I started that tradition.

Mealworms are always a hit. Paphluvr, why don't you try branching out? Black, or hulled sunflower(if you don't like the mess of black, although they cost more) will attract a lot of nice birds.

We have red bellied, sapsucker, downy, and piliated. Seldom a red head. But, the most fun to watch are the Red Breasted Nut Hatches. We have a pair every year and have named them Boris and Natasha.

I have all the usual suspects coming to the buffet I set out and even caught a glimpse of a pair of bluebirds last week but haven't returned...yet. Birds rock!

Bluebirds love mealworms they come to our feeder all winter for them. And water that's really important too.

Agreed, that's a red-bellied woodpecker, a female judging by the nape being red but not the crown of the head. I live a bit south of you in Michigan, in the Ann Arbor area, and we have them all year round, along with plenty of downy woodpeckers, and a smaller number of hairy woodpeckers. Very rarely, I will see red-headed woodpeckers. Last spring, for the first time ever at my house, I saw a pair of pileated woodpeckers. I think they were just passing through, but it was a real treat to see them.

My woodpeckers eat whatever is out, which at our house is black sunflower seeds or suet cakes. I really enjoy watching them, along with the blue jays, cardinals, and a number of other plentiful winter birds.

Dolly, I have feed a more generalized diet in the past, but my condo has a drainage ditch filled with cattails about 50' behind it and an open meadow beyond that. In the Spring and early Summer it's a great breeding place for red-winged blackbirds. They, unforunately, do not rank very high on my list of favorite birds. I find the raspy call the males make very annoying. Therefore I just concentrate on feeding the small songbirds.