Date: 5/23/26 7:14 pm From: Steve Long <steve.long4...> Subject: Re: [MDBirding] Possibly odd behaviour by Downy Woodpeckers
I regularly have Downy Woodpeckers at my tube feeder. They seem to like
the sunflower kernels and maybe the peanut splits. They are year-round
feeders here. But, I don't recall ever seeing 2 on the same feeder at
once.
I also have regular Red-bellied Woodpeckers at the same feeder. They
can't get inside the cage, but can reach far enough through to get the
peanuts.
Steve Long, Oxford
On 5/23/2026 8:01 PM, <jonbarrettphoto...> wrote:
>
> A few days ago I noticed a female Downy feeding at my nyjer/sunflower
> chip feeder (a wire mesh cylinder). In the last couple of days she’s
> been joined by a male Downy. By “joined”, I don’t mean one or the
> other, I’ve frequently observed both of them there at the same time,
> and this evening they actually “scared off” a Cardinal who also wanted
> to feed there. I stopped putting out suet back in March, when things
> seemed to be warming up, and even while I had the suet out I hadn’t
> seen them as regularly as I am now.
>
> My initial thought was that some ants or other insects had gotten in
> there, but I’ve refilled the feeder and this has continued, not just
> as an occasional visit but as a fairly steady series of visits. Is
> this an anomaly, or have other people observed similar behaviour?
>
> Jon
>
> Jon Barrett
>
> <jonbarrettphoto...>
>
> Greenbelt, MD
>
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