Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Coffee At Steve’s Country #46. Downy Woodpecker.
Good morning everyone and Happy Monday! Also, for those of us in certain parts of this big country of ours, “Happy Family Day”!! This is a real holiday here, but not in all provinces, however, most of the country calls it Family Day. Other provinces have the holiday but a different name for it. It’s another cold day, with that temp down at -31F (-35C) and with the windchill factored in that makes the temp -49F (-45C). Cold again tonight and then it begins warming up a bit.
So, grab yourself a coffee to warm up and relax for a few minutes while we look at another little bird this morning, the downy woodpecker. I checked and couldn’t find a woodpecker appreciation day, so I decided to make one, today. We’ll call it International Woodpecker Appreciation Day! So many people think that woodpeckers are harmful birds that kill trees, which is totally false. In fact, woodpecker’s help trees by eliminating the insects in the tree, and it’s those insects that kill trees. The downy woodpecker is the smallest in North America, just 5 to 6 inches (12 to 15cm) long from tip of the bill to tip of the tail.
They have a very short bill so generally look for insects under the bark of trees. They are very beneficial in orchards where nesting boxes (bird houses) are often put up to attract them. They are also a major feeder of the elm bark beetle and other bark beetles. They will do a thorough job of ridding trees of tiny scale insects. The live all over Canada and most of the US as well. They are the most common woodpecker in eastern N.A. They get along well with people and live in towns and cities, in parks and neighborhoods where there are lots of trees. They are easily attracted to feeders, especially for suet, but will also eat sunflower seeds and peanuts.
In winter they spend all their daylight hours looking for food. The male excavated their nesting cavity, usually in a dead tree or tree branch (plus they are easily attracted to nesting boxes). Once he’s near completion the female joins in for doing the finishing touches. They always sleep in different hole cavities. The female lays 4 to 7 eggs and both sexes take turns incubating the eggs in shifts of 15 to 30 minutes. At night it’s always the male that stays on the eggs. By the time the young are about 17 days old they are almost fully grown and the parents are bringing them large meals every 3 minutes. After 3 or 4 weeks the young can fully look after themselves. So much more could be said about these fascinating little birds, but I’ll stop before this gets too long. I hope you all have a wonderful day and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
Muffin’s Mewsings #4.
Hi everyone, Muffin here! I hope you having real nice day where you live. It very cold here. My human say it even colder outside. That amazing. But when he open door and I feel that cold air then I run far away shaking head. Not like that cold. You should see my human get dressed to go outside. He put on 2 pair of pants, 2 shirts, plus sweater, 2 pair of socks, great big huge boots, great big huge parka jacket with hood, hat on head, mitts, more mitts. How he supposed to move like that? How you supposed to get out door? He just go mumble, mumble. I forgot, he also have big thick scarf, can’t understand what he say when wearing that. He go out door sideways. Hope he not fall down, that be the end of him, he never going to get up again, can’t hardly move arms dressed like that. He just lie there on deck, or driveway unless someone come along and help him. Poor human of mine. Speaking of help, water freeze on Friday. He phone for help, but not get help. He say he do it himself.
Oooohh, I know this not going to be good. But I watch anyway. He have trouble with stove, can’t pull out far enough to get behind, need to unplug, but can’t reach it. So up on counter he go and lay on tummy and reach over end of counter to unplug. It stuck, he say, can’t pull out. He pull harder, but he start to slip over edge. Oh, oh, he not able to stop himself. He reach quick for wall and push. He trying to push house down? Then he walk with hands on wall over to stove, he push on stove to get back on counter. Whew, that a close one, almost he fall on head. That not be good. He try again. Yep, he that crazy. He get thingy unplugged this time and out come stove. Still can’t get at frozen pipe. He have to empty cupboards, still not work. He empty cupboard thing in bathroom, that right spot, he think. Have to move stuff out of bathroom. Have to move stove again too. Have to move other things to move stove again. My human not doing good by this time. Too much lifting and moving things that heavy. He not supposed to do that, doctor say so. Yep, he that crazy. But he finally get little heater thing blowing heat toward frozen pipes, after open hole in wall. Now more mice can come in! Water work now. Human not work so good though. He sit with funny look on face all the time. He not even able to lie down. He very strange sometimes, do very strange things sometimes. But I like him anyway, so I sleep on top of him and help keep him warm. That all for today, keep smiling everyone!
Muffin.😸 (as meowed to her human)
©2021 Steve McLeod.
Steve`s Country 